Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player to be drafted by an NFL team, has reportedly become engaged. TMZ.com – potentially applying a new kind of double-sourcing – reported the news after Sam favorited an Instagram post which said he and his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, had decided to marry.
Saying the engagement was “finally some good news” for Sam, on vacation in Rome and presently without an NFL team, TMZ added: “It all went down in Europe where the 25-year-old football player has been vacationing with his college sweetheart ... the man Sam famously kissed when he was drafted into the NFL last year. ”
There was no other immediate confirmation from Sam or Cammisano, although the New York Post cited an unnamed source confirming the news.
Sam was drafted by the St Louis Rams, 34th in the final of seven draft rounds and 249th out of 256 picks overall. Before and after the draft debate swirled over whether his decision to come out in February had influenced his lowly position. Sam, a University of Missouri defensive end considered by some undersized for the NFL, was nonetheless the co-defensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference.
At the time, he said: “From last season alone, I should’ve been in the first three rounds. SEC defensive player of the year, All-American.”
The Rams’ decision to draft Sam prompted praise from many quarters, including the White House, PresidentObama saying: “The president congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward in our nation’s journey.”
His kiss with Cammisano on being drafted caused widespread media comment and controversy.
The Rams head coach, Jeff Fisher, later said – repeatedly – that cutting Sam had been “a football decision”. Sam then signed with the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. In October, the Cowboys released him.
In December, Sam told Oprah Winfrey he did not believe his sexuality had cost him a place in the NFL.
“I don’t like to think that way,” he said. “But I do believe I’m a very talented football player and I’m going to continue working hard and try to get that opportunity to play in the league.”
