ST. LOUIS -- The overflow crowd at Rams Park did not intimidate Michael Sam.
The first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team was confident and engaged Tuesday as he was formally introduced by the St. Louis Rams.
"I'm determined to be great," Sam said. "I understand that right now you guys want to make a big deal of it."
Sam put his arm around Coach Jeff Fisher after sharing the podium with other late-round picks.
He joked that he'd never before heard the term "tweener" and even rose in his chair in mock intimidation of fellow Missouri draftee E.J. Gaines, a sixth-rounder who'd been asked what the SEC co-defensive player of the year was like as a teammate.
Sam, who came out to teammates and coaches before his senior season at Missouri, disagreed that his sexuality had been a secret.
"Apparently, everybody else makes a big deal out of it, but my teammates and my school didn't," Sam said. "It's OK to be who you are. Whether you're gay, straight, black or white, it's OK to be comfortable in your own skin."
After getting the go-ahead from owner Stan Kroenke and making the pick Saturday, Fisher called it a "second historic moment" for a franchise that signed running back Kenny Washington in 1946 as the NFL's first black player in the modern era.
Just as in his post-draft teleconference with St. Louis media that was sprinkled with assorted salty language, Sam was feisty. He's had a few months to get accustomed to the role of trail blazer instead of a silent star.
Sure, some will view him as a role model. Right now he'd much rather be the Rams' description of "designated pass rusher."
"I will always support equality, period," Sam said. "But my job is to focus on football and help this team win a championship."
The appearance attracted a massive amount of people. A half-dozen TV trucks lined a crammed parking lot at Rams Park, an hour before the team's two first-round picks were due at the podium. About 80 media members attended the news conferences.
Three days earlier when the Rams chose Sam with the No. 249 overall pick, the media contingent was in single digits.
"There's some energy here, but I don't think this is a circus," General Manager Les Snead said with a smile between rounds of interviews. "This deserves attention, but we'll get it over and we'll get to work."
Sam shared the dais with five other players taken in the sixth and seventh rounds Saturday as the draft came to a close.
Snead joked that Tennessee State center Demetrius Rhaney, taken one pick after Sam at 250th overall, should get the first question after it was lost in the hubbub Saturday.
"I'm not sure anybody knows we drafted Demetrius," Snead said, adding that he hoped that pick 249 will someday be a footnote in sports history and not such a big deal.
Sports on 05/14/2014