Michael Sam made national headlines when he became the first openly gay football player to enter the NFL draft so it’s of little surprise that he was quick to offer his words of encouragement to Arizona State offensive lineman Edward “Chip” Sarafin – who came out on Wednesday as the first openly gay Division-1 college football player.
Congratulations Chip Sarafin for having the courage to be yourself. Wishing you and your teammates much success this season. #courage2014
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) August 13, 2014
We will eventually reach a point where the existence of openly gay athletes stops being newsworthy but it’s personal moments of courage like this that will make that possible.