Jets’ Sheldon Richardson proud of Michael Sam, former roommate

The Missouri players have stood by Michael Sam, keeping his sexuality private over the course of the 2013 season after he came out. When Sam tells the story, he says people knew but were waiting for him to share. Former Missouri defensive lineman and current New York Jet Sheldon Richardson was Sam’s roommate in college and said “you knew, you saw him,” even though he was in the NFL when Sam came out to his teammates.

“I lived with Michael Sam,” Richardson said, via the Associated Press. “Regular guy, has his own sexuality. Didn’t take nothing from him. He was a great teammate, a great person. Everything you wanted out of him, you got out of him.

“You wanted a football player. You got the football player.”

Richardson went on to say he was happy for him.

“He had his best season when he came out to the team, so I’m actually happy for him,” Richardson said. “And it worked out for him. Didn’t go the opposite way because I know he was scared and nervous just for him to be himself and just him getting that monkey off his back was well worth it because he had his best season of football at Mizzou.”