Michael Sam could thank his family for his act of bravery in coming out last year as he began preparation for the NFL Draft.
But it's the opposite of a heart-warming story, according to The Huffington Post.
Michael Sam says multiple gay players are in the NFL, but no one else has come out
Sam told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that he was the victim of abuse and bullying from his brothers growing up.
"They used to abuse me daily," Sam says in a video clip with Oprah to preview the tell-all interview. "Maybe just for fun. Maybe because I was different. Maybe because I was the oddball out."
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"They called me a lot of things. They called me f-- (slur for homosexual), they called me gay -- anything you could think of, just to hurt me."
Sam is one of eight children in his family that lived in Hitchcock, TX. The Huffington Post reported that one of his five brothers was killed and another was declared dead after going missing.
In the interview, Oprah recounted Sam's assertion that the remaining older brothers always got into trouble around the neighborhood and were known as the "damn Sams."
He told Oprah that in seventh grade he'd won sports trophies for the first time - in football, basketball and track. It was the first time any of the siblings had earned such praise, Sam said.
"Yes, and my mom was so proud of me and it was the first time any of her kids had an achievement that high," Sam says. "It was Most Valuable Player. And I was so proud of those trophies."
His brothers, however, quickly wrecked that feeling of pride Sam felt.
"My older (brother), he was so jealous and he just broke them in front of me, and it was just the saddest thing," Sam said. "I couldn't have anything without them destroying it or taking it from me."
The way Sam made his childhood sound, coming out may not have been as scary in comparison.
The full interview airs tonight on OWN after a documentary on Sam.
Does Michael Sam's self-described childhood make you root for him any more than you did previously? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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