Congrats! Michael Sam is engaged

Gay American footballer Michael Sam is reported to be engaged to his boyfriend.

According to the New York Post, a source has revealed that Sam will marry his long-time partner Vito Cammisano after they got engaged in Rome this week.

The news was confirmed by one of Cammisano’s friends, who posted on Instagram that he “is officially off the market” and “getting married,” adding “#vitoisengaged.”

The two have been dating for some time and met at a party in college. They didn’t hit it off at first and were later re-introduced by a friend – and that’s when the sparks finally flew.

Sam has said that being in the closet at the time caused complications for their relationship. “Everyone knew Vito was gay, so we couldn’t even be seen together. There was a lot of climbing out of windows,” he told Out magazine.

He revealed that Cammisano helped him to eventually come out. “Vito was really the person who showed me I had to do it. I wanted us to be comfortable.”

The couple made headlines in May 2014 when they shared a celebratory kiss on live television after Sam heard the historic news that he had been selected by an NFL team as an openly gay player.

He was soon after dropped by the team and is currently unsigned. While Sam remains without a team, the impact of his coming out in the traditionally homophobic and macho American football world has been significant.