Openly Gay NFL Draft Prospect Michael Sam Draft Position Odds at Over-Under 125.5

Bovada.lv became the first online sportsbook Monday to release odds on NFL Draft prospect Michael Sam’s Draft position following his stunning announcement Sunday that he is gay.  Sam is likely to become to first openly gay current NFL player assuming he get picked and that no other player in the League comes out prior to that time.

Bovada’s odds were set at OVER/UNDER 125.5 with a price of -120 both ways.

BetOnline has taken the wagering opportunities a step further by offering odds on each round where Sam is likely to be drafted: 1st Rd +2500, 2nd +1200, 3rd +325, 4th +200, 5th +225, 6th +450, 7th +850, N/D +1800.

The 24-year-old Sam played for the Missouri Tigers and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

"I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I want to tell it," Sam told The Times. "I just want to own my truth."

"I am an openly, proud gay man," Sam told ESPN.

"I understand how big this is," he said. "It's a big deal. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL."

For its part, the National Football League issued a statement embracing Sam.

"We admire Michael Sam's honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014."

Whether individual teams are open to Sam’s sexual orientation remains to be seen.

Draft and gay rights experts told NJ.com that how some of the 32 teams around the league view Sunday’s revelation of Sam coming out of the closet will have a bearing on where he will take that landmark first snap.

“He’s a top-100 player,” said Curt Popejoy of Draft Board Insider. “So, that would make him a third-round pick. If he’s taken outside the top 100, you have to wonder if that didn't play a role.”

Last summer, NBA star Jason Collins became the first active player in one of the big US professional sports (NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball) to announce he was gay.  Collins, nearing the end of his career, has not played so far this year though he is not officially retired.

A handful of former NFL players have announced they were gay following their retirement.  Wade Davis, a one time NFL defensive back with the Redskins, Seahawks and Titans is one of them.

"There's just so much more visibility for LGBT individuals," Davis said. "You'll see them on TV. There are so many players now who have openly gay family members, whether they're brothers, sisters, aunts or cousins. I think that the world's just very different now, so the conversations that weren't being had when I was playing are being had now."

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com