Tag: out athletes

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Michael Sam Returns To Montreal Alouettes

Michael Sam has returned to the Montreal Alouettes two weeks after leaving the team for what he said were “personal reasons.” Sam left Montreal June 12, the day before the Alouettes’ first Canadian Football League preseason game, and allegedly boarded a plane headed for Dallas. At the time, speculation was rampant about whether Sam was leaving the team for good or if he would return.

From the Montreal Gazette:

As for Sam, he was in Montreal on Wednesday with injured linebacker Kyries Hebert and has a locker at Olympic Stadium. He’s expected at team meetings this Sunday and at practice the following day.

Earlier this week Alouettes general manager Jim Popp offered The Guardian his perspective on why Sam left the team:

“I think he needed a break,” Popp said. “That’s my personal belief. I think it was just overwhelming to some degree, and he needs to clear his mind, clear his head. Do I think he wants to play? Do I think he wants to be on the field? Do I think he wants to be Michael Sam the football player? I, 100%, believe that. Yes.”

(from Outsports)

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Pro-Wrestler “Money” Matt Cage Comes Out In Facebook Post

Pro wrestler Matt Hullum, (performs under the stage name “Money” Matt Cage), has come out as gay in a Facebook post titled “Here goes nothing.”

At this writing the post has received over 355 Likes and over 140 comments – the vast majority of which are supportive.

One of the biggest fears in my life has been rejection. I’m not sure why. I was never the most popular kid in school or in my neighborhood, but I always had a plethora of friends in many different cliques. I was never really rejected by anyone that I hung out with in one clique for hanging out with people in another, yet I always feared being rejected. But as I’ve grown older and continued down the road of adulthood, I have discovered that I truly don’t care as much about rejection anymore. And I why should I? My friends will like me for me, flaws and all. My family will love me for me. My peers will respect me for my work. And complete strangers can think whatever they want, because they’re strangers and they don’t know me.

That being said, it makes it much easier to post here publicly that I’m gay.

For the longest time, I claimed that I was bisexual. When I privately came out to people that already know, I told them that this was the case. And it was. However, I have no real intentions of pursuing females at this stage of my life. I still find beautiful women beautiful. I don’t think that’ll ever change. But I think that to continue to claim something that’s not true is just continuing a streak dishonesty and I don’t want that. Sorry, ladies. I’m officially pulling myself off of the market. Don’t hate me too bad.

To many of my closest friends, they’ve known since the tail end of 2013 when I began the process of telling the people who I felt should know. Some of them “knew” for much longer due to their own assumptions or beliefs. My parents know and they support me. That should be enough, honestly. But still, the speculation that comes from one’s private life always seems to make it’s way into the professional atmosphere and that’s unfair to me. I truly have nothing to hide anymore. I spent the majority of my life lying, hiding and depressed because I felt like I couldn’t truly be who I wanted to be and live freely as I saw fit. I had to act and that’s not me. I, nor anyone else, should have to do that.

Read the full post at the link.

As mentioned, the vast majority of the comments (including those from fellow pro-wrestlers) have been positive.

Here’s just a few:

  • Major props to you my friend. Takes a lot of courage to even post what you did. Glad we got to hang out a bit when I was out there. Your a hell of a guy and wrestler brother. Glad to have you as a peer and co worker. Keep killing it out there homie. Hopefully see ya soon!
  • I’m ridiculously proud to work with you and respect you beyond any length of the imagination. Keep being you and doing amazing things. Super love you dude.
  • Congratulations on being free to fully express yourself publicly, even if it’s just a small part of who you are as a person. If anything, people should respect you more for having the courage to come out. It also might help some kids struggling with their feelings, who look up to you and cheer for you in the ring, to feel like they could be safe to do the same.
  • Big ups to you man I don’t know you personally but I’m a fan of your work and would like to work you one day. That being said glad that your happy man and continue to be that way. You being yourself is hard to do these days
  • I’ve been a fan of yours for awhile now. Your work in the ring is flawless! Outside of the ring you are one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and had the privilege to consider my friend. I am so proud of you and you are without a doubt one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. Love ya Cage!
  • Good for you Matt Cage. If anyone of the boys has an issue then they’re not one of the boys. I’ve never gotten the chance to work with you unfortunately but we’re a big family. That’s really what professional wrestling is. Proud of you brother.
  • I respected the hell out of you before, and i respect the hell out of you now. Still mad i never got the chance to kick you in the face. Being true to yourself is the purest form of living. Im proud of you. I hope all is well.

(via Outsports)

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News Round-Up: June 22, 2015

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Sean Conroy, first openly gay player in professional baseball, gets his first start this Thursday; and it’s Pride Night!

• GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush says a pro-same-sex marriage ruling from SCOTUS won’t be the final word.

• 17 year old transgender teen killed in Mississippi becomes ninth transgender person murder victim this year.

• It appears Charleston church killer Dylann Roof was highly influenced by racist group Council of Conservative Citizens, who just happened to donate to the campaigns of Sen. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum.

• Yahoo News debuts a new 30-minute documentary, “Uniquely Nasty: The U.S. Government’s War on Gays.”

• Let’s take one more look back at last night’s fantastic 25th Annual Broadway Bares – “Top Bottoms Of Burlesque” – which raised over $1.5 million benefiting Broadway Cares.

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Still No Word From Michael Sam On Departure From Montreal Alouettes

“I don’t know why Sam left the team but the bottom line is that if he doesn’t return to the Alouettes soon, his dreams of playing pro football are over forever since no team would ever want to take a chance on him again.

“It would be a sad ending to his story that burned so promising 16 months ago.” – Jim Buzinski writing for Outsports on Michael Sam’s unexpected departure from the Montreal Alouettes

I have believed in Sam from the minute he landed on the national stage.

Still thinking best thoughts that this all works out for his best.

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Silence From Michael Sam As Montreal Alouettes Move Him To Suspended List

Still no official word as to why out footballer Michael Sam left training camp a day he was scheduled to make his first appearance with the Montreal Alouettes in an exhibition game on Saturday.

While Sam hasn’t addressed the departure in any way, the Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp has made a few statements to the press.

“There’s nothing to tell you. He wanted to go home, and that’s what he did. I don’t know why. When a guy wants to go home, they go home. He had some personal things to take care of.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he returns. I’m surprised he left. I was very surprised. If he doesn’t come back, I would think football’s over for him. He’s the one that has to face that. But I don’t think he doesn’t want to play football. That’s why he came here.”

“It’s a huge story because everybody keeps hounding and hounding and hounding. Michael Sam just wants to be a football player,” Popp said. “I would think anybody that’s 25 years old that has been going through it for a year and a half, it would have to affect him. I would think so. That’s one reason he didn’t want to do interviews and just concentrate on football.”

An anonymous source with the team told the Gazette that Sam may have had an negative reaction to a comment made by another player.

“All I know is I heard somebody made a comment about him, about how he wasn’t very good and wasn’t having a very good camp. He took it personally and was pouting in his room,” the source said. “It’s very strange. I have no idea what’s going on. He might have a personal issue.”

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Out Footballer Michael Sam Absent From Montreal Alouettes Opening Exhibition Game

Michael Sam, out football player who signed with the Montreal Alouettes in late May, is not with his team today for his team’s exhibition opener against the Ottawa Redblacks.

From ESPN:

“The Montreal Alouettes organization would like to clarify the situation surrounding international defensive end Michael Sam,” the team said in a statement. “Friday morning, Michael asked the team a special permission to leave training camp and return home for personal reasons.

“The Montreal Alouettes fully respect Michael Sam’s decision and rally around him to offer him all time and support needed. The team has left the door open and Michael is welcome to come back whenever he feels ready.”

Named the 2013 SEC defensive player of the year for Missouri, Sam came out before the 2014 NFL draft, and was eventually picked by the St. Louis Rams late in the 7th round.

The Rams released him after the 2014 preseason, and the Dallas Cowboys picked him up for their practice squad. He lasted several weeks but was eventually released.

Sportscaster Rick Moffat tweeted he ran into Sam at the Montreal airport. From Sam’s luggage load, Moffat didn’t think Sam was leaving for good. See below.

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Michael Sam Is Heading To The Canadian Football League

The Montreal Alouettes announced Friday that they have signed former Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam to a two year contract. Sam will join the team for rookie camp next week.

“I am very excited and proud to join the Montreal Alouettes and want to thank team Owner Robert Wetenhall, General Manager Jim Popp and Head Coach Tom Higgins for this opportunity,” declared the Alouettes’ newest member.

“I cannot wait to put on the pads, get back on the field and work hard each and every day with my teammates to bring a Grey Cup to the great fans here in Montreal.”

While I continued to hope for prospects here in the US for Sam, I’m glad to hear he’s at least going to be doing what he loves for a living. And hopefully he’ll find his way back to an American team soon.

The average CFL player makes $80,000 a year vs. $1.4 million in the NFL. The minimum CFL salary is $51,000 vs. $400,000 in the NFL.

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New Jersey: High School Wrestling Champ Comes Out During College Recruitment

New Jersey state wrestling champion Alec Donovan

Outsports chronicles the coming out of Alec Donovan, New Jersey state wrestling champion, who is now a top college wrestling recruit.

It was on a recruiting trip to Limestone College in South Carolina that Alec Donovan finally answered “the question.” Donovan had just won the New Jersey high school state championship in the 145-pound division of the NJSIAA/Rothman Institute Wrestling Championships. Along with him on the recruiting trip was another New Jersey wrestler who had placed in the state tournament.

“Rumor is you’re bisexual,” the other recruit said to him. “Is it true?”

It had been a long journey for Donovan, once fraught with fear, depression and suicidal thoughts since realizing he was gay as a high school freshman. Now a senior approaching graduation, he had climbed out of the abyss all the way to a state title and a peace of mind. There were a select few close to him who knew his secret, but he had never shared it with other top wrestlers.

“The rumor isn’t true,” Donovan told the other recruit. “I’m not bisexual… I’m gay.”

Be sure to read the full account over at Outsports.

By this fall’s 2015-16 collegiate season, Alec will most probably be the first openly gay NCAA wrestler.

Alec’s journey took him from considering suicide to being a part of a high school program that tackles intimidation and bullying.

Bravo.

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Missouri’s Markus Golden Will Be Interesting To Watch In 2015 NFL Draft

Erik Siegrist, writing for Rotowire, has an interesting take on Markus Golden, Defensive End for Mizzou, who’s up for the NFL draft this year.

He compares Golden to another player from last year’s draft in terms of stats and play:

Basically, the same stats, right?

Cutting to the chase, I’m sure regular readers (who must be wondering why I’m writing about a DE from Missouri out of nowhere) will guess: Golden is Player A and out footballer Michael Sam is Player B.

Like Sam last year, Golden’s size has most teams viewing him as undersized for a DE, but a possible candidate to move to OLB instead. Like Sam last year, most experts are viewing Golden as a probable mid-round pick, possibly sneaking into the third round but more likely getting selected on Day Three.

Last year, in a deep class for pass rushers, 43 DEs and OLBs came off the board before Sam was selected late in the seventh round.

[snip]

But when on paper two players are so similar, if there’s a wide divergence in their fates in the draft, you have to start looking seriously at other factors to explain the discrepancy.

Through no fault of his own, Markus Golden is in a position to almost single-handedly prove (or disprove) the most common theory as to why Michael Sam is currently not with an NFL team, even on a futures contract.

The NFL continues to hold the line that Sam isn’t on an NFL roster because he wasn’t good enough.

We’ll see if the same stats – without the cache of being Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the SEC as Sam was – will work better for Golden.

And that will definitely tell us something. Won’t it?

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College Track Star Andrew Goodman Shares The Impact Of Coming Out On His

Photo by Erik Hall

Sports writer Erik Hall does a great job chronicling Colorado State track star Andrew Goodman’s coming out journey over at Outsports.

Weaving in and out of the years long coming out process was the impact that coming out actually had on Goodman’s sport.

Via Outsports:

The morning of his final college cross country race, Andrew Goodman arranged his spikes and running bib to take a picture. He wrote earlier in the week a two-word phrase on the outside arch of his black and yellow shoes using a rainbow of color markers. His competitors would see the phrase as they chased him, but the phrase was intended for him.

#BeTrue

Goodman, a Colorado State distance runner, posted the photo on social media before competing at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November. Until that morning, Goodman always separated being gay and an athlete.

” ‘You didn’t run well because you’re a gay boy and you like boys, so you’re not as tough.’ That sort of mentality is one of things that I hesitated about for the longest (time) and kept me from it,” Goodman says. “You don’t want to be viewed in a different light.”

Using the phrase Nike adopted for its LGBT inspired clothing line, the 22-year-old embraced being different.

Really excellent read. Congrats to both Hall and Goodman for sharing this personal trek. Read the entire essay on Outsports.