National Football League

Ex-NFL WR's series of tweets about Sam shoot down distraction argument

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:38 a.m. ET

James Parziale

Former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth admitted to being intolerant of certain people in locker rooms. But he has done a 180 in recent years and explained why on CNN on Tuesday morning.

“I saw how ignorant I was and how much of a bigot I had been,” Stallworth said, admitting that he had been homophobic. Given some of the ways he had been treated, citing some racism, Stallworth decided, “I can’t act this way toward gays after the way I have been treated.”

These comments all come in light of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam’s announcement that he is gay. Sam, who is projected to be a mid-round pick, is being viewed as a trailblazer since he can potentially be the first openly gay NFL player if he gets drafted.

“This kid is very talented,” said Stallworth, who a day earlier on Twitter launched a series of tweets in support of Sam. It was all prompted by Stallworth hearing ESPN analyst and former NFL head coach Herman Edwards say that Sam could be a distraction for any team that drafts him.

Here is what Stallworth had to tweet on Monday:

(H/t to Huffington Post)