EPIC: This defence of America's first openly gay footballer might just change the world.

American footballer player Michael Sam has become the first openly gay NFL player.

He says he knew it would be hard.

The 24-year-old, who is likely to be picked for the upcoming NFL draft in the States, came out by saying: “I’m Michael Sam. I’m a football player and I’m gay.”

“I’m comfortable with who I am,” Sam continued. “I probably may be the first but I won’t be the last and I think only good things are going to come from this.”

“I don’t think I should be defined as Michael Sam, the gay athlete, the gay football player. I want to be defined Michael Sam, for being a great person and having great character.”

The internet predictably exploded with vile, homophobic and prejudiced abuse of Sam – but then one Texas sports anchor delivered a truly jaw-dropping speech on air.

You can watch it below:

In his broadcast, Dale Hansen for WFAA, pointed out that Sam’s only “crime” was to love another man – when other players have committed actual crimes, often truly despicable acts. Hansen said:

You beat a woman and drag her down a flight of stairs, pulling her hair out by the roots, you’re the fourth guy taken in the NFL draft… You love another man, now you’ve gone too far.

It wasn’t that long ago when we were being told that black players couldn’t play in our games, because it would be uncomfortable, and even when they finally could, it took several years before a black man played quarterback, because we weren’t comfortable with that either …

I’m not always comfortable when a man tells me he is gay, I don’t understand his world, but I do understand that he is part of mine.

Let’s remember that we need to respect the people who are a part of our worlds.