Radcliffe on Michael Sam: ‘I think he’s f**king awesome!’
By Josh Haggis
Daniel Radcliffe has spoken out in support of out gay NFL player Michael Sam.
Sam, 24, came out in February, and following his selection by the St Louis Rams in May, he will become only the second out gay athlete to compete in any of North America’s four major professional sports leagues – football, baseball, basketball and hockey – after basketball player Jason Collins was selected for the NBA earlier this year.
Harry Potter actor Radcliffe praised Sam during a recent interview with Out, and wished the NFL star a “f**king brilliant” year.
“I think it’s fucking awesome. It’s fantastic that he’s got a team,” Radcliffe said of Sam, before adding later: “In interviews, at no point does he allow himself to be portrayed as a victim or someone who deserves extra sympathy. He’s brilliant at shutting that down. I think everybody else just hopes he does fucking brilliantly this year, and that there’s [going to be] a list of quarterbacks who got sacked by a gay defensive end.”
Sam attracted criticism from some quarters when he was seen kissing his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, live on television after being told over the phone that had been drafted into the NFL. Radcliffe shared his views on this, too, criticising those who would prefer Sam to keep his sexuality “behind closed doors”. See Radcliffe’s comments below.
“My favourite comments online were the ones that said, ‘I don’t mind him being gay, but I don’t want to see him kiss his boyfriend.’ Well, you kinda do mind, then. Also, I presume Michael Sam told the world he was gay so that when he was drafted he could do that without having to fucking think about it or hide it. And I think that’s a fantastic thing. Hopefully Michael Sam’s taking the plunge for everyone who will come after him.”
Meanwhile, in a rather lighter recent interview, Daniel Radcliffe joked that he can’t get enough of roles that require him to shed his clothes – read more here.