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Missouri football alum Michael Sam takes high road after Jon Gruden's homophobic emails

One of the most recognized football players in Missouri program history is at the epicenter of one of the most egregious sports stories of 2021.

Now-former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden used a homophobic term in an email when referring to then-St. Louis Rams' decision to select former Tiger star Michael Sam, an openly gay defensive end, in the 2014 NFL Draft, USA Today reported.

The emails were made public after the New York Times published a story on their contents late Monday.

The plethora of emails came to light as part of a completely separate investigation by NFL officials into workplace misconduct that did not directly involve Gruden.