Former Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam has been named the winner of the 2014 Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
Sam will receive the award at the ESPYS on July 16, with ESPN recognising "his courage and honesty that resonates beyond sport" as the reasons for him being chosen.
The 24-year-old announced that he was gay back in February, and has received widespread praise for his decision to come out.
Upon winning the gong, Sam said: "I just feel like, because I came out, and was the first one to do it - I think I can be a beacon for others, young athletes who are maybe gay or maybe not.
"I think I could be a beacon for these people who could say, 'Hey, I could be comfortable in my own skin and be like Michael Sam.' I'm very honored to be presented with the Arthur Ashe award.
"You know, I don't think there is anything courageous I did. I look forward to when we can live life in a world when gays don't have to come out in public."
The award is named after Ashe, a tennis star who died in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion.
Sam was named as the Associated Press's SEC Defensive Player of the Year for 2013, and is widely expected to be chosen in the first three rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Joe McPhee
