wade davis, to you first.alk with michael sam help us -- >> you know one of the big things that michael wanted to do was get executive teams time to really evaluate him as a player. an also have those hard conversations about what would it mean to draft a gay player. he wasn't trying to hide anything. he also believes that what team wouldn't want a player with a courage and strength that he exhibited. i think that all teams want players who exhibit great leadership and great courage. and that's all that michael has done. >> woodruff: how important a move do you think this is? >> i think to a lot of people it's an important move. and to michael it was something that was-- he understood the gravity of it. but he wasn't overwhelmed by it. >> woodruff: what do you mean? >> that he understood that this was a big deal as far as being the first openly gay nfl player. but to him, he was just doing something he's always done. show up with a courageous heart and be himself. >> woodruff: how do you weigh the significance

hoopla out of the way so i can be who i am, and that's a football player. >> sarah kate ellis, wade davis going to do it for me. i'm craig melvin. i'll see you back here at 2:00. up next, though, "andrea mitchell reports." >>> i'm meteorologist bill karins. another arctic air mass is heading down from canada. it's going to be cold today from minneapolis all the way down into the ohio valley. now, that's going to meet up with a storm system in the gulf, and we are going to see winter weather in the deep south starting late tonight and through the day tuesday. and it looks like a possible snowstorm moving up the east coast wednesday and thursday. [ children yelling ] [ telephone rings ] [ shirley ] edward jones. this is shirley speaking. how may i help you? oh hey, neill, how are you? how was the trip? [ male announcer ] with nearly 7 million investors... [ shirley ] he's right here. hold on one sec. [ male announcer ] ...you'd expect us to have a highly skilled call center. kevin, neill holley's on line one. ok, great. [ male announcer ] and we do. it's how edward jones makes sense of inve

it's just not true. >> wade davis and dave zirin, thank you both very much for joining us tonight. hank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> for leading the way on this. really appreciate it. thank you. >>> coming up in "the rewrite," more on the nfl. the name of the nfl football team in washington, d.c. and why the commissioner of the nfl defends the name but is actually afraid to use that word in a sentence himself. >>> and later, a huge political demonstration this weekend that most of the media didn't notice. [ female announcer ] you get sick, you can't breathe through your nose... suddenly you're a mouthbreather. well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than cold medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some f

it's just not true. >> wade davis and dave zirin, thank you both very much for joining us tonight. thank you very much. >> thank you so much. >> for leading the way on this. really appreciate it. thank you. >>> coming up in "the rewrite," more on the nfl. the name of the nfl football team in washington, d.c. and why the commissioner of the nfl defends the name but is actually afraid to use that word in a sentence himself. >>> and later, a huge political demonstration this weekend that most of the media didn't notice. vo: once upon a time there was a boy who traveled to a faraway place where villages floated on water and castles were houses dragons lurked, giants stood tall, and the good queen showed the boy it could all be real. avo: whatever you can imagine, all in one place. expedia, find yours. es are acting up. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. th

. >> when michael sam came out he got a phone call from wade davis, a former nfl player who came out s gay years after he made. wade, we appreciate you joining us but before we start our interview, i want to talk and play a clip of you. you wrote a letter to athletes, other athletes who are considering coming out. let's listen: >> dear young athletes. it is 6:40 a.m. i am sitting at my computer figuring out what to write to you and i'm afraid. i'm afraid that my words won't be powerful enough. i'm afraid that everything that's in my heart won't find its way out, i fear the unknown, i fear that all my insecurities and weaknesses will be seen by everyone and i will be deemed by less than. but not today. i will no longer allow my voice, my message to be shrouded in fear. >> what do you want the message to be wade? >> i think there's nothing to stop you except fear, right? i think what michael sam has done has transcended fear. he's walked straight through it. he's walked fear in the face and said, i'm better than you. i think if we really think about what michael sam has done, he's done

. >> former nfl player wade davis with was also part of the support group.ed davis what the timing of this announcement says about michael. >> i think it says that he is so courageous. i have never met a person that has walked through fear the way he has that showed his heart and vulnerability. and i think he's going to be an amazing leader in the nfl for many years to come. >> reporter: from your standpoint having been in professional football locker rooms, how proud are you that very likely in 2014 there will be an openly gay player playing on the field on sundays. >> i cannot wait to go to michael's games to have friends over to my house to turn on the tv and point to somebody who is not only a friend of mine, but someone who is a pioneer. someone who is going to change the way the league is. >> the nfl has recently released a statement reading in part, quote, . . . what does that league support do for michael sams transition to the nfl? >> i think it reaffirms his true trust in what the nfl stands for. i think oftentimes we imagine the nfl being this hom

wade davis is executive director of you can play, an organization dedicated to ending homophobia in sportsmsnbc contributor and fellow at the university of austin. congratulations. it is over. >> i wish. it is important that we finally had jason collins make the team. what does him coming in the uneventful way say about lbgt sports. >> we have crossed the threshold. people say good, but can you still play? >> on the other side, victoria, you had michael sam who over the weekend said he wishes people would pay attention to his play and not pay attention to his sexual orientation. it's not going to happen. we're still going to be focused for some time for these men and any other players who come out. >> it is. first of all, joy, i want to say congratulations on the show. but getting back to the topic at hand, we can't forget. even though we have seen a lot of advancement, the majority of the state prohibit gay marriage and have laws that allow for discrimination against gay folks. living in a red state, i see it firsthand. for those of us outside the beltway, outside of these states, we have

he had such wonderful guys around him, wade davis, those are the guys that went through when i went through the process. they guided me the right way. i'm sure they did to michael it's about support. the president-elect people are absolutely tremendous with support. people surrounding him making sure things are going to go the right way. >> anthony 96odimo, the highdi . thank you for being with us. >> plus on the menu, mike viqueria with a preview of tomorrow's white house state dinner. >> fault lines, hard hitting... >> they're blocking the door... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here. >> truth seeking... al jazeera america's breakthrough instigative documentary series. over a year after the bengazi attacks, chaos in the streets... unspeakable horrors... >> this is a crime against humanity >> is libya unraveling? >> there's coffin after coffin being carried into the cemetery. >> fault lines libya: state of insecurity only on al jazeera america >> last october u.s. forces grabbed a suspect in the 1998 bombings of the u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. tonight we look at th

louis post-dispatch," wade davis of the you can play project, and sports journalist selina roberts.a full weekend next saturday and sunday at 8:00 a.m. eastern time. but coming up next is melissa harris-perry with guest host joy reid on her program today. a look at what happens when the president talks about race. stick around, joy is here next. i'm beth... and i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly sweetened whole grains... you can't help but see the good. whole grains... fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. yeah. everybody knows that. did y

dave for "the nation" magazine and wade davis, a former nfl player who played for the tennessee titanswashington redskins and seattle seahawks. wade is also the executive director of you can play project. happy super bowl sunday. >> yes. >> let me begin with you. if i just asked the question, who gets paid off the nfl or who gets paid as a result of major football, professional football, what's your answer? >> i mean, there are plenty of people who get paid and, guess what, melissa? the top 1 percenters. i love that you dropped that 1% line. because the super bowl is home to 1 percenters. if you don't have average fans who are obviously able to afford the game. we're talking about a league that is laughably tax exempt. a league that has built the majority of public stadiums off taxpayers money. we're talking about in a league new orleans given inducement payments for years. millions of dollars just to stay in new orleans. >> after the storm there was this possibility that benson was going to leave and here the city was sort of desperately saying, no, we need our good news stories and w

appreciate it. >> thank you. >> we also want to thank kate dawson, and wade davis.these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah. what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the start of sneeze season and the wind-blown watery eyes. that's why puffs is soft. puffs plus are dermatologist tested to be gentle and they lock in moisture better. so you can always put your best face forward. a face in need deserves puffs indeed. >>> if you watched the show yesterday, or if you follow melissa harris-perry on twitter, and you should, you may already know the exciting news that on valentine's day, melissa and her husband james welcomed a new member of their family. hey, baby girl perry. she will be on maternity leave for the n

wade davis, came out a couple years ago, talked to me about that. he was an nfl player.came out. the nfl's more ready for this than they think they are. the get the guy who can help a team win, they are to come around. >> an interesting point. it's also why he's core ranlous to come out before the draft. kudos to him. but on that point, this homophobic concern that seems to continue to come up when we have these conversations a concern about the shower. they're going to make me feel uncomfortable. we don't know if they're going to uncomfortable. the players speaking out. jonathan vilma spoke to this most recently. take a listen. >>> i don't want people to naturally assume we're homophobic, it's not the case. i imagine if he's next to me and i get dressed naked, taking a shower, the whole nine, and just so happened he looks at me, how am i supposed to respond? >> when it comes -- >> how am i supposed to respond? >> team sports, this is the main concern. this is why you'll see teams saying we don't want to take this on. we don't want to have older players say we are concer

joining us now is wade davis, a former nfl player who came out after his playing days. ector of "you can play" project, an advocacy group working to eradicate homophobia in professional sports. many people are predicting michael sam will be drafted in the third round but could the fact that he is gay mean teams might pass on him? >> i think at this point it's going to come down to what is he like for this team as a football player? and teams are going to draft -- i really do believe that they're going to draft him as a good fit for us, can he help us win? those kind of things. i think he made be third or fourth round, maybe fifth round. but it's going to come down to how he performs at the combine. does he do well? i think he's answered and done very well in answering all the questions about what he would be like as a teammate and as a player. >> wade, since linebacker jonathan vilma noticed that change comes with a little bit of resistance in sports and in society. will the majority of players embrace sam or do you think they'll push him away? >> i think similar to what

former nfl player wade davis who came out after his playing days says this message will help sam's transitione league. >> i think it just reaffirms his true trust in what the nfl stands for. i think often times we imagine the nfl of being an homophobic place but it's something i have known for a very long time but it's not. the players are used to being in places where players from different races and different classes and different religions and transcending the fears and saying they are my brothers and if you help a team win and be a stand-up guy who is not afraid to show courage and that is what michael sam has really don't -- done. >> reporter: he will do this at the combine that begins on the 22nd in indianapolis. this is the latest from the winter olympics in sochi the skiing made the debay and canada made off with the first gold metal and devon takes silver and qualifying is underway for the men's half pipe where superstar shaun white will attempt to be the first man to take three metals in a winter olympic event. in the women super combine hoefl-riesch won and 4-10ths faster and the u

. >> courageous young man, from david to wade davis a few football players have come out of the closetheir careers were done. but now a nfl prospect is coming out before his nfl career has even begun. >> came to tell the world that i'm openly proud gay man. >> and with those words michael sam if drafted has set himself up to become the nfl's first openly gay player. in interviews with espn and "new york times" the 24-year-old university of missouri all american defensive lineman said he came out last year to his teammates and his coaches. >> rallied around me and supported me and could not ask for better teammates. >> reporter: the sam codefensive player of the yeerl -- year will be in the draft and wants to take control of how his story is told and it's a story he says shouldn't make a difference no matter which team he plays for. >> it shouldn't matter. if i work hard, if i make plays, that is all that should matter. can he help us win games, is he a team player, that is all that should matter. >> a big question in the coming months is sure to focus on whether the nfl locker room is

wading through, because it is difficult when you add self-defense to it. it is not that they are not paying attention to the loss of a life. my concern for the davisey don't have closure. one way or another, this is yet another nightmare that they will have to go through for the next several months until the case is retried if in fact the jury cannot decide it is first degree or second degree or a question about self-defense. >> yes. and listen, i don't think that anybody is putting the jury on trial here and you heard what the judge said, because he praised the jury for being meticulous, and taking out the notes and taking the meticulous notes and no one is begrudging them of that, but what we are concerned about here is the stand your ground law, mark o'mara, and you should know that why some people who in a case that is open and shut murder someone, and they are the ones who approach the person, and kill them and then get a wway wh it. that is what the people are concerned about. go ahead. >> well, yeah, i will tell you that this may have happened because of the zimmerman case. i said that this was a few months ago that millions of americans ha