Who Is Steve Elkington? Former PGA Golfer Bashes Michael Sam In Homophobic Twitter Rant [PHOTO]

A former PGA Tour champion bashed ESPN and Michael Sam, an NFL prospect, in a homophobic rant on Tuesday.

Sam, who starred at the University of Missouri, recently came out as gay and will soon become the first active gay player in NFL history. As such, his efforts in NFL Combine drills such as the bench press and the 40-yard dash -- which will likely play a major role in determining where he is selected in the NFL draft -- have been subject to intense scrutiny from the media.

But Steve Elkington, an Australian golfer who won the 1995 PGA Championship, disapproved of the way that ESPN was handling its coverage of Sam’s efforts at the Combine. In a Twitter rant on Tuesday, the 51-year-old revealed his thoughts on the situation.

“ESPN covering Michael Sam as a gay athlete is embarrassing,” Elkington wrote. “ESPN reporting Michael Sam is leading the handbag throw at NFL combine. … No one expected [him] to throw today.”

Minutes later, Elkington clarified his rant in a tweet to Yahoo’s Shane Bacon. “I’m for Sam I’m against ESPN telling me he’s gay….,” he wrote.

This isn’t the first time that Elkington’s Twitter antics have gotten him into trouble. In 2013, Elkington apologized after a racist rant in which he criticized the Pakistani population of Southport, England, For The Win reports.

Regardless of Elkington’s views, the coverage of Sam’s journey to the NFL won’t come to an end anytime soon. The former SEC Defensive Player of the Year is expected to be a mid-to-late round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.