Michael Sam delivers Pride Week keynote speech

The University of Louisville LGBT Center capped off its annual Pride Week with an unlikely ally: a football player.

Michael Sam, former University of Missouri defensive end and the first openly gay NFL player, delivered the LGBT Center’s keynote speech to a crowd of U of L faculty and students.

The talk began with an introduction from LGBT Center Director Brian Buford, who spoke on the privilege it is to work at U of L.

“I’ve never worked with people who are so passionate, dedicated and skilled at what they do,” Buford said. “Every member of this team is dedicated to our overall mission of inclusion.”

Buford also presented Assistant to the Vice President of Diversity Diane Whitlock with the LGBT Center Award. Buford touched on how much Whitlock has done for minority communities at the university.

“She has touched so many lives on this campus, and so many students come to her for her advice and support,” Buford said.

Sam presented Whitlock the award, and then began his speech.

Sam discussed his upbringing, as well as on the realities of what it was like to grow up with an absent father figure and two abusive older brothers.

“My older brothers, Josh and Chris, basically made life a living hell for me, my mom and my sisters,” Sam said. “They got involved with gangs, drugs and crime, and went down a very dark path.”

However, Sam spent very little time lamenting on the dark side of his past. Instead, he touched on how his negative experiences helped shape him into the man he is today.

“I didn’t have much of a father figure, and my two brothers made me want to stay as far away from home as possible,” Sam said. “I used school as a safe haven.”

Sam then shifted his talk to his coming out experience while playing for Missouri, saying it as one of the most important moments in his life.

“There were so many times in college that I didn’t know who I was. I would look at myself in the mirror and see a pretender,” Sam said. “I wasn’t Michael Sam. I was just someone who was pretending to be Michael Sam.”

“When I came out to my teammates in Aug. 2013, it was such a spontaneous moment, and I truly felt comfortable with who I was,” Sam said.

That season, Missouri achieved a 12-2 record, and Sam was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

After being drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams, Sam was cut in Aug. 2014 at the end of training camp. While his days of professional football are over, Sam still travels around the country to deliver speeches on his story, and hopes to provide inspiration for others dealing with some of the tribulations he’s gone through.

“I went through life resenting a lot of people for what they had done to me, and for a long time, I resented the NFL,” Sam said. “I believed that I really did have the talent to play in that league, but God has led me down a better path, and I’m thankful for it.”

More games: friv

Vos says speakers at UW campuses too liberal

Campuses in the University of Wisconsin System have been abuzz since last week, when Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos cited data he obtained through an open records request to support his claim that campuses "more times than not" seek "a liberal-minded individual to disperse information to the young, developing minds who pay them thousands of dollars for their education."

While many professors disputed his claim, and others said it was a valid point to keep in mind, they uniformly took issue with the methodology of data analysis and assumptions behind the politician's provocative statements in his op-ed piece, "A Free Speech Challenge to the UW System".

The open records request yielded hundreds of speakers on campuses, and Vos focused on the 50 top-paid speakers of 2015 across the system. His raw data included only names and titles of speakers, the campus group or event to which they spoke, and how much they were paid. It did not include speakers who were invited but declined to make appearances. It did not include the speaker's topic.

"Any reader of Assembly Speaker Vos’ summary of UW honorary expenditures and his estimation of their political slant would like to know much more," said David Hoeveler, a professor of history at UW-Milwaukee. "By what measures did he and his team decide whether the recipients were 'liberal' or 'conservative'? At my university, those from the list with whom I am familiar balance pretty evenly; the list even includes one prominent neoconservative."

By their very nature, college campuses are "places for open and progressive thought," said Scott Adams, a UWM associate professor of economics and department chair. "(Vos) has a fundamental misunderstanding of how college campuses work."

Adams said the vast majority of campus speakers "aren't speaking about something political. ... Science, the arts, aren't inherently liberal in a political sense."

Some may consider social and economic inequality to be liberal issues, but colleges invite speakers to talk about them because they're important, Adams said.

Suggesting that Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, is political because he's gay "is repressing free speech in and of itself," Adams said. "That's reducing him to a political viewpoint. He's a human being who has a story."

Sam's speaking engagement at UW-La Crosse late last year is an example Vos raises in his commentary.

Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, had a speaking engagement at UW-La Crosse late last year. (Photo: Associated Press)

Whether it is a liberal position or not, universities try to err on the side of inclusiveness and tolerance, said UWM political science professor and department chair Kathleen Dolan.

"Many current conservatives who offer social and political commentary might be likely to offer talks that are counter to inclusive instincts on any number of issues — sexuality, immigration, race, etc.," Dolan said. "I can't imagine a campus inviting a speaker to talk against LGBT rights unless it was at a religiously affiliated school or a school with a clear conservative and religious identity."

Academics bring people to campuses to speak on academic issues, and student organizations bring people to speak on issues of interest to their membership, she said.

Adams suggested looking at a list of campus speakers, along with a transcript of what each one said, to arrive at an evidence-based conclusion about whether conservative viewpoints are fairly represented on campuses. "Let's dig deeper rather than say a name and title of a talk."

If agreed-upon standards for designating political ideologies or sympathies could be established, though, Hoeveler said he would not be surprised that "yes, 'liberal' would predominate" today.

"I’ll go even further and repeat what I’ve said previously: The greater threat to academic freedom today comes from the radical left, less than from the radical right," said Hoeveler, adding he voted for Ronald Reagan twice and used to be an ardent Republican, "but people were never retaliatory to me."

"That an accomplished public servant like former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, invited to give the commencement address at Rutgers in 2014, should receive such violent protests as to dissuade her from appearing, illustrates leftist intolerance on that campus," Hoeveler said. "The University of Chicago recently took the bold step to assert that it, for one, would not cave into pressure for 'safe spaces,' an action implied in the UW Regents’ statement against shielding individuals “from ideas and opinions they, or others, find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”

Vos does have a point, and campuses need to be aware of it, Hoeveler said. "We probably could do better."

Adams agreed.

"It could be helpful to remind us all that there are alternative viewpoints," he said. "It's important we do continue to check ourselves on that point."

Vos said he was challenging the UW System to "practice what it preaches," referring to a Board of Regents policy statement approved last December affirming the board's commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression.

The policy statement says that although the university values civility, "concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussions of ideas."

Kit Beyer, communications director for Vos, told the Journal Sentinel that Vos met with UW System President Ray Cross the same day the op-ed piece appeared, and the two agreed on the need for a variety of perspectives and viewpoints to be heard and understood with mutual respect.

"I think it's a good discussion that's been started," Beyer said. "This is not politically motivated. We're just advocating for more voices on campus.".

Talent development remains key if Missouri is to win under Barry Odom

As a former recruiting coordinator, Missouri coach Barry Odom would prefer to build a program in the fashion one might expect from someone who worked in that ultracompetitive environment. Win recruiting battles, sign the best prospects possible and construct a deep, talented team.

“I’m excited about having a chance to hopefully put together the best group we’ve ever had,” Mizzou’s first-year head coach said last week at ESPN headquarters, “and then after this year, we’ll try to do it again next year.”

But if Odom hopes to enjoy the long-term success that predecessor Gary Pinkel did, he and his staff must continue one of the most important traditions of the Pinkel regime. The Tigers must remain specialists in talent development, taking in underrated and unnoticed athletes and turning raw potential into top-end results.

That was the cornerstone of Pinkel’s success, helping him become Mizzou’s all-time wins leader (118), with five division titles and 10 bowl appearances in 15 seasons. This after Mizzou enjoyed just two winning records in the 17 seasons preceding Pinkel’s arrival.

Run down the list of Missouri’s top players over the last decade. Sure, there are a few elite prospects, such as Terry Beckner Jr., Blaine Gabbert and Sheldon Richardson, who picked the Tigers from a long list of suitors. But there are far more notable signees -- Charles Harris, Shane Ray, Jeremy Maclin, Aldon Smith, Michael Sam, James Franklin, Kony Ealy, Henry Josey and Kentrell Brothers, just to name a handful -- who were three-star prospects or worse as high schoolers and became standout players under Pinkel’s watch.

Missouri in the NFL draft since 2012

Missouri has had 15 players drafted since 2012, the year it joined the SEC. Only three of those players earned four-star grades as high school prospects.

PLAYER	ESPN STAR GRADE	POSITION RANK	NFL DRAFT ROUND	YEAR
Evan Boehm	Four stars	No. 2 OG	Fourth	2016
Kentrell Brothers	Three	No. 117 OLB	Fifth	2016
Connor McGovern	NR	No. 40 OC	Fifth	2016
Shane Ray	Three	No. 35 DE	First	2015
Mitch Morse	Four	No. 19 OT	Second	2015
Markus Golden	NR	NR	Second	2015
Bud Sasser	Three	No. 63 WR	Sixth	2015
Marcus Murphy	Three	No. 90 RB	Seventh	2015
Kony Ealy	Three	No. 49 DE	Second	2014
Justin Britt	Three	No. 74 OT	Second	2014
E.J. Gaines	Three	No. 57 CB	Sixth	2014
Michael Sam	Three	No. 75 DE	Seventh	2014
Sheldon Richardson	Four	No. 8 DT	First	2013
Zaviar Gooden	NR	NR	Third	2013
Michael Egnew	NR	NR	Third	2012

Finding diamonds in the rough is a necessity at Missouri, as the Tigers’ home state is not well traveled in recruiting circles. In the last four recruiting classes combined, the state of Missouri had just nine prospects earn ESPN 300 status. This year alone, the state of Florida had 48 ESPN 300 players and Georgia produced 31.

When you’re in the same division as programs with such depth of talent in their home states, you’d better get creative -- and Pinkel’s staff did that as well as any of its FBS competitors. There was no magic formula, Odom said, but one valuable evaluation tool was observing how the athletes fared and competed when they played in sports besides football.

“There’s obviously a couple different components with it,” Odom said. “No. 1, when we recruit athletes, identifying an athlete that we think we can do a great job of coaching and turning and training him to be a football player. Also the inner drive that the kid has on wanting to be great. A multisport athlete, to me, that’s a positive. That’s a great thing. To be able to see him on different avenues and in different venues on being successful and competing. Then, development once they get on campus, and strength and conditioning.”

A perfect success story as a result of these methods is Harris, an All-SEC defensive end last season who did not play football until his junior season of high school. A basketball standout in Kansas City, Harris unquestionably was a project, but Mizzou’s coaches liked the frame and focus that could one day help Harris become an SEC-level pass-rusher.

“Charles Harris wants to be the best defensive end Missouri’s ever had and that’s important to him, and if you watch him practice on Tuesday afternoon, it looks like it’s game day,” Odom said. “He’s got some inner drive that’s really important.”

Harris is part of a position group that has been especially successful in the arena of talent development. Under former defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, the Tigers regularly signed mid- and low-level prospects who went on to become stars. That tradition instilled a willingness with the Tigers’ defensive linemen to put in the work that would allow them to keep it up from year to year.

“At the defensive line specifically, that unit, that group, those guys that we have right now, they want to be better than last year’s group. And that group wanted to be better than the one before,” Odom said. “So there’s a carrying-the-torch a little bit in that they want to be the best. … And then they’ve received some pretty good coaching too.”

Without question. Pinkel and his staff won SEC East titles in 2013 and 2014 with rosters loaded with starters who were never considered blue-chippers. If Odom wins this fall, it will be done in similar fashion. Missouri’s recruiting class ranked 51st in ESPN’s 2016 team rankings, and the Tigers were the only SEC program that did not sign at least one ESPN 300 prospect.

That’s not necessarily a major issue -- Pinkel proved that -- but Odom’s ultimate success or failure at Mizzou likely will be determined by his ability to match Pinkel’s gift for turning leftovers into a gourmet meal.

Michael Sam hopes deadly Orlando shooting is 'a wake-up call for America'

In the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in the history of the United States at an Orlando gay club Sunday morning, Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL, issued a passionate plea to the rest of the country. Using Instagram to release his response, Sam also offered his condolences to the friends and loved ones of the 50 victims of the shooting.

In the caption, Sam wrote:

"To my brothers and sisters of the LGBTQ community please take the time to read this. If you have not already heard there was a terrible shooting at a gay night club in Orlando. It is not only a sad day for the #LGBTQ community, but for the American people. 50 people lost their lives because of a hateful coward with a gun. Let this hateful act of terror on the #LGBTQ community be a wake up call for America. Men and women of all races, ages, and sexual orientation are being slaughtered because of hate crimes. How many more must die from a hate crime? We need to create awareness for ALL to show that hate is not the foundation of our nation. Friends DO NOT let this coward put fear into your hearts!!! Let us all come together stronger than ever and let the world know that we will not be terrorized or bullied by the actions of hateful bigots. We are here to stay and fight not only for equality, but for our very existence. To the victims love ones of this terrible crime I and the entire#LGBTQ community in the world stands with you and mourns with you.#standwithorlando #prayfororlando #love #peace #lbgtq #pride"

And here's the photo that accompanied his message:

Sam, drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft, has been out of football since a short stint with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League ended in 2015.

Other NFL players, like Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, also expressed their sadness.

Patriots' receiver Julian Edelman and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald had similar messages:

Michael Bennett “almost threw up” after hearing Sam Bradford comments

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett never minces words. On Tuesday, he used those words to turn Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford to mincemeat.

“I just almost threw up,” Bennett told ESPN 710 regarding Bradford’s abandoned desire to be traded after the Eagles traded up to No. 2 in the draft, via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. “I can’t believe Sam Bradford is complaining about making $40 million in the next two years, and because he actually has to compete for a position. This guy, this guy right here definitely sets a bad tone of what a player should be.

“If I was his teammate . . . how can you play with a guy that doesn’t want to compete at a high level and feels like his position should be solidified without even putting up the stats or the wins to back that up?”

Bennett’s remarks invite speculation regarding what Bradford’s teammates think, even though none of them have said anything about the situation. Chances are that if he performs well, nobody will say anything. If he struggles, however, it could make them more likely to get on the Carson Wentz bandwagon.

Michael Sam to Address Students at 14th Annual Class Day

National College Association of Athletics (NCAA) All-American Football Player and National Football League (NFL) Free Agent Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL, will address the graduating Class of 2016 on Emory’s 14th annual Class Day, according to Class Day Chair and Goizueta Business School senior Max Mayblum.

Sam will speak on Thursday, May 5, at Glenn Memorial Church.

“I am very pleased that [Sam] has agreed to speak at Class Day,” Michael Kloss, executive director for the Office of University Events, wrote in an email to the Wheel. “He is an inspiration[al] speaker and we look forward to hearing his presentation to the graduating seniors.”

Student input drove the Class Day speaker selection process, Mayblum said. A committee of 10 to 15 juniors and seniors was created with consideration to students’ involvement on campus, outside connections and previous experience with Class Day planning, Mayblum said. He added that the students on the committee are those “who best represent everyone in [their] senior class.”

Near the beginning of this semester, student committee members generated a preliminary list of potential speakers whom Kloss ultimately contacted based on feasibility, Mayblum said.

In addition to Sam, the list also included comedians Steve Harvey and Tyler Perry.

Macklemore, with whom an Emory student had a connection, was also on the committee’s list, but Macklemore was unavailable to speak at Class Day.

Emory’s first Class Day speaker was Danny Glover, followed by similarly well-known personalities such as Chelsea Handler, Adam Richman, Kenneth Cole, Ben and Jerry, Mia Farrow, Peyton Manning and Bill Nye, Kloss wrote.

However, Mayblum said that Emory’s past Class Day speakers have been “pretty homogenous in what they have to offer,” adding that, “No one that we’ve brought in the past has any story like Michael Sam’s.”

Mayblum said that he is excited for Emory to host Sam, and that he expects other students to express similar reactions. “The goal of this is to have someone who’s attractive to everyone in some sort of way,” he said.

Mayblum added that if students maintain open minds, they are guaranteed to “latch onto” something in Sam’s speech.

“Michael Sam made history with the NFL, so he’s going to really draw a lot of attraction from people who like sports, people who want to be involved with the LGBTQ community, people of color [and] people in Atlanta,” he said. “I think altogether, he’s a very well-rounded individual for the speech, and I think he has a really unique message to bring.”

Adam Lambert, Sam Smith, Michael Sam, Jussie Smollett, Clay Aiken: Out's Most Eligible Bachelors

Singers Adam Lambert, Clay Aiken and Sam Smith, football player Michael Smith and actor Jussie Smollett lead gay glossy Out's annual survey to find the planet's most dateable gay man.



Out is asking readers to vote on their favorites and will announce the winners next month.

Men nominated range from fashion icons to politicians to singers, including last year's winner, Adam Lambert.

Nominees looking to unseat Lambert include YouTuber Aaron Rhodes, actor/singer Jonathan Groff, figure skater Adam Rippon, actor Adrian Anchondo, TV personality Billy Eichner, singer Alejandro Ghersi, YouTuber Tyler Oakley, actor/singer Alex Newell, director Andrew Haigh, model Nyle Dimarco, TV personality Andy Cohen, actor Anthony Wayne, singer Aubrey Allicock, YouTuber Austin Rhodes, actor Andrew Scott, fashion designer Alexander Wang, actor/singer Billy Porter, football player Brad Thorson, actor Charlie Carver, CEO Chris Salgardo, author Christopher Stoddard, designer Cliff Fong, SVP Joe Valentino, TV personality Frankie Grande, actor Cole Doman, actor Colman Domingo, activist Deray Mckesson, actor Drew Droege, singer Eli Lieb, model Eric Rutherford, blogger Frank Lowe, baseball player David Denson, singer Frank Ocean, actor/writer Gabe Liedman, director Gregg Araki, comedian Jeffery Self, YouTuber Joey Graceffa, designer John Targon, figure skater Johnny Weir, actor Jonny Beauchamp, entrepreneur Lorenzo Martone, YouTuber Kyle Krieger, model Jon Kortajarena, rugby player Keegan Hirst, powerlifter Kinnon Mackinnon, YouTuber Korey Kuhl, model Laith Ashley de la Cruz, singer Le1f, singer Ricky Martin, designer Marc Jacobs, politician Mark Takano, author Marlon James, football player Mason Darrow, wrestler Matt Cage, actor/singer Matt Doyle, actor Matt Mckelligon, actor Matthew Risch, social media star Max Emerson, singer Michael Angelakos, actor Michael J. Willett, singer Mike Hadreas, actor Murray Bartlett, singer Neil Ahmin Smith, fashion icon Nick Wooster, singer Olly Alexander, actor Omar Sharif, Jr., activist Rory O'Neill, actor Paul Locano, TV writer Peter Nowalk, YouTuber Raymond Braun, CEO Tim Cook, actor Reid Ewing, designer Riccardo Tisci, director Xavier Dolan, illustrator Richard Haines, singer Rod Thomas, author Sam Lansky, designer Scott Studenberg, dancer Ryan Steele, squash player Sean Conroy, singer Shamir, YouTuber Shane Dawson, bodybuilder Shawn Stinson, designer Shayne Oliver, singer Zebra Katz, rugby player Simon Dunn, singer Steve Grand, reality star Tamal Ray, actor Tarell Alvin Mccraney, fashion icon Tim Gunn, actor Tituss Burgess, choreographer Trajal Harrell, singer Tyler Glenn, and actor Wilson Cruz.