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NFL draftee Michael Sam gave an emotional speech upon acceptance of the 2014 Arthur Ashe Courage award at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) awards Wednesday.

St. Louis Rams' defensive end Sam was introduced by former wrestler and Hollywood actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to accept the award. He went onstage after hugging his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, immediate relatives and supporters.

He talked about how Ashe inspired him through his courage and even shared a story about a younger woman who thought about killing herself because she was gay. But when she saw Sam and his examples, she never thought of hurting herself again.

"It's amazing to think that, by just doing what we can, we can all touch, change and even save lives," said a teary-eyed Sam.

Michael Alan Sam Jr. played college football with the Missouri Tigers. He was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was named All-American by the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and three other award-giving bodies.

Sam was instrumental during the 2014 Cotton Bowl Classic where the Tigers went up against the Oklahoma State Cowboys when he forced a fumble that led to the return for a touchdown and the win.

Sam is the first openly gay player that has been drafted by the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round by the Rams last February. He was even praised by U.S. President Barack Obama in a congratulatory statement saying that he "congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation's journey."

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award is named in honor of the only Black tennis player who has won singles titles at the Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open. He was diagnosed of  HIV in 1992, which led to the formation of the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS.

In closing, Sam thanked a number of friends and relatives before finally offering some advice"to anyone out there, especially young people," and to those that are struggling.

"Great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself."

TagsMichael Sam, Arthur Ashe, ESPYS, Vito Cammisano