National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American football player and National Football League (NFL) free agent Michael Sam emphasized sacrifice and resilience in his speech to the graduating Class of 2016 Thursday, May 5 during Emory’s 14th annual Class Day.
“A lot of shit’s going to come your way and how you handle it will define you as a person,” Sam said in his speech. “I stayed true to myself … I found a way and I turned myself around.”
Sam was the first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL. He said that after four years of self-doubt, he told his college football teammates that he was gay in August 2013 and told “the world” on Feb. 9, 2014.
“The odds of me being who I am today are very low,” Sam said in an interview after the speech, in reference to adversity he faced as a child. Sam had endured the deaths of three siblings, the emotionally taxing divorce of his parents and a significant amount of uncertainty regarding his education. Nevertheless, he was the first of his family to receive a high school diploma and a college degree.
Sam said that life is inevitably uncertain, adding that whether he will have an NFL career is still unclear.
Although the St. Louis Rams drafted Sam in the 2014 NFL draft, the 26-year-old said that he has never played a first down in the NFL. He said that he plans to continue speaking, which “pays the bills,” and is hoping to attain a position in the NFL within the next few weeks.
If his NFL career proves completely unsuccessful, Sam said that he plans to pursue several television opportunities and to work on establishing his own outreach foundation geared toward providing scholarships to LGBT students.
Sam was met with a standing ovation at the end of his speech. “This is my first commencement speech. I’m not saying it like I want to,” Sam said jokingly. “I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m just talking.”
A student committee of 10 to 15 juniors and seniors chose Sam to speak, after assessing multiple potential candidates’ availability and ability to share a homogenous message, according to an April 13 Wheel article.
Class Day Chair and Goizueta Business School senior Max Mayblum said that he was pleased with the speech and its reception. “Everyone was able to find something [in his speech] that meant something to them.”
Mayblum noted that Sam did not use a script while he spoke. “I thought that was really meaningful to the students,” he said. “He spoke straight from his heart.”
Additionally, several graduating seniors were honored for their achievements. College senior Brian Delgado, Goizueta Business School senior Sumaali Pradeep Chheda and Woodruff School of Nursing senior Chuncey Ward were awarded the Boisfeuillet Jones Medals for their success and efforts in a variety of leadership roles. College seniors Daun Kwag and Emilia Truluck received the Knights of Spirit Awards for their commitment to representing Emory through service.
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