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Michael Sam in action at the NFL Combine earlier this year. Michael Conroy/AP/Press Association Images

Michael Sam becomes the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL

The Missouri player was picked by the St. Louis Rams.

WITH THE 249th pick of the NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams created history by drafting Michael Sam, a defensive end from Missouri, the first openly gay player to be selected for the NFL in its history.

Sam, the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC – college football’s best conference – had been expected to go in the sixth round but fell as far as the seventh and was the eighth last player to be picked in the Draft.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher told NFL.com the decision to draft Sam wasn’t just a football one, but that he would make his defence stronger.

“Look, he’s a good football player. We’re glad to have him. We got better when we took him. And we’re gonna do everything we can to get the most out of him. It’s exciting.”

And here was Sam’s reaction to the news he had been picked:

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Steve O'Rourke
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