Gay NFL star Michael Sam has revealed that a number of players who remain in the closet have reached out to him, after he came out as gay.

The player – who has had brief spells with the St Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys – made history as the first openly gay NFL player, though he is yet to play an on-season game.

He was drafted to the Rams in May this year, before being cut in August – and subsequently spent less than two months on the Cowboys practice team before being cut again in October.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, he revealed that a number of players who remain in the closet had been in touch with him.

When the TV host asked him whether he has had contact with other players, the sportsman responded: “A very few reached out to me and pretty much just told me their gratitude, and how thankful they were that I had the courage to [come out].

“They wished that they had the courage to come out. Gay men in the NFL reached out to me.

“[They] just showed their respect and admired my courage… It was very good.

“There’s a lot of us out there – I’m not the only one, I’m just the only one who’s open.”

Sam had initially made plans for an Oprah documentary while playing for the Rams in May, but it was postponed to allow him to concentrate on his playing career.

However, the documentary and an exclusive interview can air this month now he is a free agent, and not signed to a particular team.

Oprah Winfrey Network will air the exclusive documentary, ‘Michael Sam’ on Saturday, December 27.