Michael Sam Tells Oprah That Multiple Gay NFL Players Thanked Him

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michael Sam, the first openly gay man drafted into the NFL, disclosed that other gay players in the league thanked him for coming out in public prior to the 2014 draft.

"A very few reached out to me and pretty much just told me their gratitude and how thankful they were that I had the courage [to come out]," he told Winfrey in an interview, which will air on OWN, via Cindy Boren of The Washington Post. "They wished that they had the courage to come out."

The St. Louis Rams drafted Sam in the seventh round but cut him in August. The Dallas Cowboys took a flier on the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the year before cutting him in October.

Sam tweeted out his gratitude to the Cowboys organization and added that he will continue pursuing an NFL career: 

Winfrey's full interview with Sam will air Saturday night.