Michael Sam to Be Featured on Cover of 'Out' Magazine's August Issue

After quietly dropping out of the news cycle in the weeks following the 2014 NFL Draft, St. Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam will grace the cover of LGBT lifestyle magazine Out.

The magazine tweeted a preview of their August issue with a picture of Sam posing with an American flag:

Sam, a former SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year at Missouri, became the first openly gay player to be drafted into the National Football League this spring when the St. Louis Rams selected him with the 249th pick.

Hours after being drafted, Sam’s jersey sales skyrocketed—outselling all others in his draft class save for Cleveland Browns rookie Johnny Manziel. It was an unprecedented occurrence for a seventh-round draft pick who many believed had ruined his chances at playing professionally by publicly declaring his homosexuality.

Out writer Christopher Glazek has published a feature story on Sam online. The story discusses the 24-year-old’s distrust of the media and his skepticism at how much “courage” it took for him to declare himself a gay man.

The Rams rookie tweeted Out’s photo, saying he was glad to be featured on the cover:

Sam’s Out feature will hit the shelves in early August, just as preseason NFL games begin to kick off.

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