The father of Michael Sam — the college football player and NFL prospect who came out as gay on Sunday — claims that a New York Times profile on his son’s upbringing “horribly misquoted” him to make it appear he was anti-gay and opposed to his son’s lifestyle.
On Wednesday the newspaper published an article, titled “Michael Sam’s Troubled Upbringing in Texas,” that delves deep into Sam’s relationship with his family and the wider community in Hitchcock, Texas. The Times wrote that Sam’s father, Michael Sam Sr., unleashed a variety of anti-gay comments when interviewed by a reporter.
“I couldn’t eat no more,” Sam Sr. allegedly said, remembering the February 4th text message he received from his son telling his father he was gay. “I went to Applebee’s to have drinks. I don’t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment.”
According to the Times, Sam Sr. later added he was “old school” and a “man-and-woman type of guy,” and that famous former defensive end Deacon Jones would be “turning over in his grave” if he knew homosexuals would be playing in the NFL.
But Sam Sr. later told the Galveston Daily News he had been “terribly misquoted” by the New York Times. “I did not say anything about my grandkids,” he asserted, adding that other remarks had been taken wildly out-of-context. “I told them that Deacon Jones is going to roll over in his grave because here comes my son and that he’s going to be a star in the NFL,” Sam Sr. explained.
“My son did the right thing,” the football player’s father continued, “and I am not against him at all. He has made a great statement in coming out, and that he should be able to play in the NFL. I love him unconditionally.”
The New York Times is sticking by its report despite Sam Sr.’s objections. “We generally are not inclined to discuss the details of our reporting, but I can assure you that we quoted Mr. Sam accurately and fairly,” said Times sports editor Jason Stallman, in an email to the Galveston newspaper. “I’ve gone over it with our reporters, and everything was rock solid, beyond any doubt.”
[h/t Fox News]
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