Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on Tuesday praised Missouri defensive end Michael Sam for his courage to come out as gay before the NFL draft, saying Seattle would welcome him to the locker room.

“He’s very courageous to come out and talk about it. You have a lot of respect for somebody that can do that,” Wilson said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” TV show, adding, “If he’s on our team, I know that we’ll treat him with utmost respect just like everybody else.”

Named this past season as the SEC’s co-defensive player of the year, Sam publicly announced his sexual orientation Feb. 9 , sending waves through the world of sports. If and when he is drafted this May, he would become the first openly gay player in the NFL.

Sexuality in sports continues to be a big topic in this week’s national news cycle, particularly after Jason Collins on Sunday became the first openly gay man to play in the NBA — and, in fact, to play in any of the major four men’s professional sports leagues. But to Wilson and the Seahawks, it seems, that doesn’t matter.

“When I step into the huddle for the Seattle Seahawks on game day,” Wilson said, “I’m not worried if a guy’s white, black, if he’s Christian or Jewish, or whatever the situation is — where he came from. The only thing we’re focused on is winning football games.

“And as long as that guy is doing everything he can on the field, in terms of just getting ready to play the game and just showing out come game day, that’s all we care about at the end of the day. That’s the thing that, especially for the Seattle Seahawks, that we do.”

Wilson also appeared Tuesday morning on the Fox News show “Fox and Friends,” according to The Washington Times. ( We did not personally watch the morning shows. ) There, Wilson was asked about proposed legislation from D.C. lobbyist Jack Burkman that would ban gay athletes from playing in the NFL.

[Updated 12:23 p.m.: We found the videos online, and The Washington Times seems to have worded Wilson’s quotes wrong. This article has been updated with new, more accurate transcriptions.]

“To be honest with you, when I step into the huddle for the Seattle Seahawks, my focus is on winning football games,” Wilson told “Fox and Friends.” “And our goal is one goal, and that’s to win the Super Bowl. And every time we step out onto the field, that’s our mindset. So when I step into the huddle, I don’t care if my offensive lineman is white, black, if my receiver is Jewish or Christian — that has no effect on me.”

Is there an echo in here?

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