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Moments after college football star Michael Sam, a defensive lineman for the University of Missouri, came out as gay in a New York Times article, thousands of supporters flocked to Twitter to congratulate the brave athlete. Among those who commended the NFL hopeful's decision to publicly reveal his orientation was out NBA player Jason Collins, who tweeted, "I can't wait to cheer for whatever lucky team that drafts @mikesamfootball. Personally I hope he goes to my favorite team. The @Colts."
However, not everyone applauded Sam's bravery. Several antigay bigots decided to hide behind the safety of their keyboard and spew messages of hate at the groundbreaking college football star. Below are 15 of the most vile, homophobic messages that hit the Twitterverse in response to Sam's decision to kick down the closet door and live his life honestly.
\u201cMichael Sam I'm gonna cast yo fag fucking ass to hellz!!!\u201d— Spirit of Truth (@Spirit of Truth) 1392049862
\u201cNew Fag League - The Doom of a Great American Game https://t.co/4mZHYO2GAA\u201d— AmericaFirstAgain (@AmericaFirstAgain) 1391996906
\u201cIt saddens me that black male role models now are either homo or in jail.College football star Michael Sam: I'm gay https://t.co/4VM6bXMOjv\u201d— Mary Fords Grandbaby (@Mary Fords Grandbaby) 1392028625
\u201cwhat a wacko Michael Sam lol says hes atracted to guys WTF thats fucking gross haha @espn #SportsCenter that should be Not top 10 lol\u201d— NBAInsider (@NBAInsider) 1392005121
\u201cMichael Sam bringing smear the queer to a whole new level #corksoaker\u201d— Dub (@Dub) 1392043660
MLK is ROLLING in His Grave. Did He DIE 4 This? https://t.co/cA4q1ee1Vh Who is going 2 follow this guy w/o the liberal elite? #bathhousebarry
-- Gopis dead (@Gopisdead) February 10, 2014Michael sam. Hope u die
-- Pariah's Child (@Lakeshow_248) February 10, 2014\u201cMichael Sam's don't ask don't tell brotha.. Now I can't watch sport center for the rest of the week , you ruined it god damn !\u201d— Al Hannum (@Al Hannum) 1392050760
\u201cWhy are people praising Michael Sam & acting like hes greater than God just because hes openly gay?!? Its a sin! #ThisWorldIsGoingToHell\u201d— Aleksander Aker (@Aleksander Aker) 1392034045
@jeffpearlman God hates fags & fag enablers, thus God hates @MikeSamFootball & you! #SHAME pic.twitter.com/dnAld9cL9N pic.twitter.com/S2LegZ1gj7
-- Westboro Baptist (@WBCSays) February 10, 2014Help drown out homophobic messages being sent to Sam by tweeting your support to @mikesamfootball.
