Former NFL player Michael Sam says the LGBT community used him as a poster boy and then abandoned him

In an emotional interview published on Yahoo News, former NFL player Michael Sam recounts how his life fell apart after he was celebrated as the first openly gay player in the NFL.

Sam also criticizes the LGBT community, among others, for not helping him after his life had spiraled out of control.

He faced a firestorm of public outcry and scrutiny when he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, and cameras showed him kissing his then-fiance in celebration.

After playing for the Rams and being released, he was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys but was released without playing one down for the organization.
Sam says he began to abuse drugs and alcohol and lost control of his life.

When he found himself in a one-bedroom apartment in Dallas by the Fall of 2016, he reached out to the LGBT community who had championed him before, as well as other sports organizations and businesses.

Despite the previous support they had shown him, "no one would give me a job," he said.

"Where was the support that I got for coming out?" Sam added. "I felt like I was used by everyone."

He was partying, working out and hooked on cocaine. "I felt lost and worthless," he said.

Sam has since stopped abusing hard drugs after an ayahuasca retreat in Peru. He is working to heal his broken relationship with his family.

Here's more about Sam's NFL experiences:

Michael Sam wishes he hadn't been drafted by the Rams | THE HERD