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According to an interview on ESPN2, former Missouri pass rusher Michael Sam will be the NFL's first openly gay player.

The All-American quotes, "It’s who I am…I’m not afraid of who I am.”

In addition to his announcement, Donovan Bonner (also a student athlete at Missouri) said on Twitter, "We knew of his status for five years and not one team member, coach, or staff member said anything says a lot about our family atmosphere."

As aforementioned, Missouri has known this "news" for five seasons, and it has not affected anything. Michael Sam has been one of the leaders on a great Missouri defense, and was well respected during his time at Missouri.

The next step for Sam is the NFL Combine then the NFL Draft. Some have him going in the top 50, but the consensus opinion sees him going in the fourth round.

Michael Sam being the NFL's first openly gay player changes the world, but it does not change anything in a micro sense. Sam is an All-American football player, he is a future NFL player, and he should be embraced as any other teammate who is a rookie.

This took courage for Sam to announce, but the amount of support he has received from his teammates and his university will be parallel to the support in the NFL. Sure, it will be a big story but in reality Michael Sam is a football player, making his jump to the highest level of competition.

There will be bigots, and there will be some who are against Sam being a NFL player, but in reality our world and generation allows this "news" to be not only accepted, but an afterthought. Michael Sam is a football player, and a good one at that.