6. Michael Sam’s Kiss
In April, Michael Sam was the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. Sam, the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, came out months before the draft and became a civil rights pioneer when the St. Louis Rams selected him in the seventh round. The moment was captured on film as an emotional Sam got the call and celebrated by kissing his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano. The image of two men kissing did not go over well with some criticizing the display of affection as TMI. “Man U got little kids lookin at the draft, I can’t believe ESPN even allowed that to happen,” former NFL player Derrick Ward tweeted and later said he received death threats for. Miami safety Don Jones tweeted “OMG” and that the kiss was “horrible,” but later apologized. Sam was later released by the Rams and Cowboys, with many still wondering if his inability to land an NFL job is because he is gay.
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