On Sunday, MU football player Michael Sam publicly came out as gay in interviews with several media outlets. There has of course been a lot of reaction to the news, with many praising the defensive lineman’s decision and others questioning whether it’ll affect his prospects of being drafted into the NFL. Sam would be the first openly gay player in the NFL if he is drafted. Before his announcement, he was projected to be taken in the third or fourth round.
This week on Intersection, we’re breaking format just slightly to talk about this developing story. In the first part of the show, w'e'll talk about the significance of Michael Sam's announcement. Later in the show, we’ll talk about the implications of Missouri’s shortage of mental health professionals.
Panelists:
MU football player Michael Sam comes out
Jim Buzinski is a cofounder of Outsports, a sports website which helped break the story.
Missouri's mental health professional shortage
Keith Schafer is the director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Cindi Keele is the executive director of the state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Brent McGinty is the president and CEO of the Missouri Coalition of Community Mental Health Centers.
