LAST CALL

Michael Sam’s West Hollywood Throwdown: “You Give Our Community A Bad Name!”

michael-sam1

Michael Sam — the first openly gay football player in the NFL — had a pretty bad night last night. There’s no word of what touched things off, but he got into a verbal fight with another guy at a West Hollywood club. And it nearly escalated into a fist fight.

Unfortunately, details are few. Also unfortunate is the name of the venue where it all took place: Bootsy Bellows. Okay, really, that’s what you’re going to name your nightclub? For real? (It’s named after the burlesque act of one owner’s mother, which is sweet, but good lord it’s hard to take a business seriously with a name like that.)

Michael was hanging out with some friends, apparently, but when they left he started yelling with another guy. “People like f***ing you give our community a bad f***ing name,” he yelled. Oof. What could this guy possibly have done? Does anyone know? Can anyone make an educated guess? There are plenty of things a person could do to give a community a bad name, up to and including starting a fight with a professional football player at a place called “Bootsy Bellows.”

A photo of the incident shows Michael with his arm outstretched, and the other guy with his hand up in an “I’m about to punch you” gesture. A third guy is holding the punching-arm back, seemingly trying to prevent any violence.

Michael also added that if the other man tried to touch him, “I will find that you tried to attack me and I will lay your ass on the ground.” That does not seem like an idle threat: Michael appears to still be in great shape, and it would be insane to try to pick a physical fight with him.

It’s unfortunate that he’s in the news in this context, but it’s worth pointing out that since taking a break from playing professional football last year, he’s been doing good: a few months ago he helped push back against a discriminator bill in Missouri.

Watch the altercation unfold below, via TMZ:

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated