Among the many responses to Missouri defensive end Michael Sam’s announcement that he’s gay came from Sam’s father, who the New York Times quoted as saying that he’s “a man-and-a-woman type of guy” and expressing reservations about his grandkids being raised “in that kind of environment.”
Michael Sam Sr. is now backing away from those comments. Sam Sr. spoke to the Galveston County Daily News and said that he was “terribly misquoted” in the initial article, saying that he never brought up anything about his grandkids and that a quote about Deacon Jones rolling over in his grave was taken out of context. Sam Sr. says he meant Jones was rolling over in his grave because his son “was going to be a star in the NFL.”
“My son did the right thing, and I am not against him at all,” Sam Sr. said. “He has made a great statement in coming out, and that he should be able to play in the NFL. I love him unconditionally. ... Once he gets on the field and hits [someone] once, they won’t think he’s gay.”
The Times responded to Sam Sr.'s claims about being misquoted and said that they quoted Sam Sr. “accurately and fairly” in their article.