Michael Sam seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. He was leading one of the most exciting teams in the nation during his senior year. He even won Co-Defensive Player of the Year for the SEC, arguably the most famous college football conference.

The minute that Sam came out as gay, everything went downhill. Jokes were made on social media and NFL front offices decided whether this would be good or bad attention. Sam was expecting a lot more than what he got at the draft.

Sam was picked late in the draft, 249 picks in, when he was selected by the St. Louis Rams. This too did not turn out well either. Three months after the draft, the Rams decided to part ways without even appearing in a regular season game.

“Sexuality and football have nothing to do with each other,” said sophomore Elizabeth Bell. “The exclusion of someone because they are gay is despicable. He’s probably feeling furious because nothing about him makes him an incapable athlete.”

One thing lead to another and Sam was picked up by another team, the Dallas Cowboys, and then quickly cut without playing. Seems a little bogus, right? Shouldn’t he get a chance to play regardless of his sexuality?

“He has shown hard work in the past with Missouri,” said sophomore Dakota Hunley. “People know he is talented and that he deserves to play in the NFL even though he is gay.”

No NFL owners or coaches have spoken as to why Sam is not playing. However, former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was suspicious that he was cut because of his views on same sex marriages. So in some cases, it affects straight players too.

The United States have also been determining whether same sex marriage should be legal. 32 states have passed it so far and gay couples are already taking advantage of it.

“The issue of gay marriage should respect both the conservative and liberal view,” said senior Michael Choi. “The instant impulses override the ability to communicate and it becomes tangled and inconclusive.”

If enough states pass it eventually, more athletes could come out and it would become less of a big deal.