NEW YORK, N. Yaya Toure Jersey .Y. - Michael Sam has been selected the winner of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. The Missouri defensive end, who likely will be drafted by an NFL team this weekend, will receive the award given to individuals who transcend sports at The 2014 ESPYs on July 16. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, has announced that he is gay, making him set to become the first openly gay player in the NFL. ESPN is honouring Sam for "his courage and honesty that resonates beyond sports." "Im very honoured to be presented with the Arthur Ashe award," he said. "It is about courage. "You know I dont think there is anything courageous I did. I look forward to when we can live life in a world when gays dont have to come out in public." Sam said he has received support from athletes in all sports, "from football to basketball to softball to soccer, everyone." "I am thrilled to be living in a time when you can be accepted for how you live." Sam joins a prestigious list of winners ranging from Jim Valvano, the first recipient in 1995, to Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, Cathy Freeman, Nelson Mandela and Pat Summitt. The award, of course, is named for Ashe, the inspirational tennis star who died in 1993 after contracting AIDS from a blood transfusion. After learning he had the disease, Ashe campaigned to raise awareness about AIDS. "Arthur always believed in and practiced leading by example," said Ashes widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe. "When Michael Sam announced that he is gay, he courageously stepped forward to engage an issue that still remains a pervasive problem in many professional sports. Michael has displayed true leadership both on and off the field." Sam is one of eight children from Hitchcock, Texas. Two of his siblings have died and one disappeared and has not been found. Maura Mandt, executive producer of the ESPYs, calls Sam a "humble guy who isnt looking for any accolades." "In deciding to give Michael this honour, while his courageous act of coming out is a part of it, the story is about the life he led growing up," Mandt added. "A man who has consistently lived his life with integrity, is never afraid of living this truth." Ilkay Gundogan Jersey . Sources tell TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun the international tournament will likely return in September 2016 rather than 2015. Willy Caballero Jersey . LOUIS -- The St.PHILADELPHIA - The family of the late NFL star Junior Seau plans to object to the proposed US$765 million settlement of player concussion claims because the fund would not pay wrongful death claims to survivors. Although the players lawsuits accused the NFL of concealing known concussion risks, there would be no blame assessed as part of the settlement, and no punitive damages for pain and suffering. "Mr. Seaus children have their own claims for the wrong the NFL did to them. His children are not suing for their fathers pain and suffering, they are suing for their own," lawyer Steven M. Strauss wrote in a court filing Friday that signalled the familys intent to pursue an individual lawsuit. Other potential critics to the settlement reached by players lawyers and the league are also starting to emerge — and the judge overseeing the case has herself expressed doubts the sum is big enough. About 50 plaintiffs lawyers met in New York last week to learn more about the settlement from the lead lawyers, but some left dissatisfied. "This could be a great settlement, this could be a terrible settlement, but I dont know," said Chicago lawyer Thomas A. Demetrio, who represents 10 players, including the family of the late Dave Duerson, a four-time Pro Bowler who mostly played with the Chicago Bears. Duerson fatally shot himself in the chest, leaving his brain intact for autopsy. Like Seau, he was diagnosed with CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. An honours graduate and trustee of the University of Notre Dame, he was 50 when he died, which would factor into his familys payout. "His estate will receive $2.2 million. Thats not adequate," Demetrio said. U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who must weigh the deal, also wants more actuarial details than filed with the settlement papers. She preliminarily rejected the plan last month, questioning whether $765 million will be enouugh to fund about 20,000 claims involved for 65 years, as promised. Gael Clichy Jersey. The architects of the plan argue that the players could end up with nothing if the lawsuits are thrown out of court. The NFL had argued that the claims belonged in arbitration. The retirees would also have to prove their injuries came from NFL concussions, and not those suffered earlier. "The retired player community has provided overwhelming support for this agreement, and we look forward to finalizing it soon so they can begin taking advantage of its benefits," lead lawyers Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss said in a statement Monday that recognized the work of other lawyers on the case. The NFL settlement, if approved in court, would be capped at $4 million on behalf of players diagnosed after their deaths with traumatic brain injury. The payments could go as high as $5 million for younger men with Alzheimers disease, but many more plaintiffs with mild dementia would get $25,000 or less under the deal. Demetrio wants to know how much of the NFLs payment will come from insurance, and why the lawyers would split another $112 million, when the case did not reach discovery or trial. The NFLs annual revenues top $9 billion. "Its very, very unusual ... for all the plaintiffs to not know whats going on," Demetrio said. "Theyre acting like the Lone Ranger." The Seau Family, meanwhile, is also concerned that the deal calls for a stay on individual suits until all appeals are finalized with the settlement. "Junior Seaus children could be forced to wait years for justice, while the NFL continues to make billions of dollars and the memories of witnesses grow ever more distant," the filing said. The NFL, which on Monday joined two U.S. lawmakers in pushing for legislation to help protect student athletes from concussions, declined comment Monday on the Seau familys objections. Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '