NFL

Missouri DE ready to impress at Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — While the rest of the NFL world focuses on Michael Sam becoming the first openly gay player in the league, Sam would rather be known as the next Michael Strahan.

The Missouri pass rusher singled out Strahan — the Giants’ newly crowned Hall of Famer — as his inspiration and football role model Saturday in Sam’s first press conference since the announcement of his sexuality earlier this month.

“I admire Michael Strahan,” Sam told to a crowd of more than 200 reporters and cameramen at Lucas Oil Stadium. “He’s an awesome pass rusher, although I want to make a name for myself.”

Name recognition obviously hasn’t been an issue for Sam in recent weeks, although the 6-foot-2, 260-pound prospect made it clear Saturday he would much rather it be for his football skills than sexual preference.

As if the crush of media wasn’t aware of that desire to change the subject, Sam’s opening statement erased all doubt.

“As you may know, Missouri is the ‘Show Me State,’ and you’d think I’d have shown you guys enough these last couple of weeks,” he said. “But I’m learning with the media, you guys still want more so ask your questions, and I’ll answer them to the best I can.”

When Sam finally was asked a football-related question midway through the nearly 15-minute session, he feigned shock.

“Hey, what’s that?” Sam said, laughing.

But if Sam has yet to win over scouts and team executives whose view of him as a “tweener” — a player without a true position in the NFL — might cause him to go undrafted, he certainly impressed the crowd Saturday with a poised, confident and relaxed stint in front of the cameras.

Sam said he remains touched by the outpouring of support that followed his announcement, which has included a standing ovation at a Missouri basketball game and the formation of a support group called “Stand with Sam.”

“It’s been great,” said Sam, who was wearing a “Stand with Sam” rainbow-colored pin on his jacket. “I mean, the positive outweighs the negative. I’m kind of surprised, actually. But there’s a lot of supporters, a lot of people want this. There’s just a lot of support out there.”

Sam added that he wanted to cry during the standing ovation but didn’t because, “I’m a man.”

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was the latest person from the NFL to express concern about how Sam will be received in the league, saying his biggest worry is abuse from opposing fans, but Sam waved that off Saturday.

“When I’m on the field, I really don’t focus on fans,” Sam said. “I just focus on my responsibilities, which is the guy right across from me.”

Sam also continues to insist he isn’t worried about the possibility of abuse or alienation in the locker room from future teammates, saying it wasn’t an issue at all in college.

Sam even said he would welcome being drafted by the Dolphins, despite their recent locker-room bullying scandal.

“I’ve been in locker rooms where all kinds of slurs have been said, and I don’t think anyone means it,” he said. “I think [they are] a little naive and uneducated, but as time goes on, everyone will adapt.”

Sam hopes that indifference to his sexuality soon extends to the media and fans, too.

“Heck yeah, I wish you guys would just say, ‘How’s football going? How’s training going?’ ’’ Sam said. “I would love for you to ask me that question. But it is what it is. And I just wish you guys would just see me as Michael Sam the football player instead of Michael Sam the gay football player.”