University of Nebraska gymnast Samuel Phillips appeared in a campaign for PSD Underwear this holiday season. The senior joins a roster of athletes to have signed a deal with the brand, including Jimmy Butler, Ja Morant and Bronny James.
“At PSD, you wear your life,” he says in a campaign video posted on social media. “And in my life as a gymnast, it’s all about what’s underneath.”
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The 22-year-old is serving as team captain despite being sidelined due to an injury this season. Phillips is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and has earned seven spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. He was a Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award winner in 2021 and a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
The California native came out as bisexual when he was a freshman and founded a chapter of Athlete Ally at the university.
“I choose to be a lighthouse for those younger than me but also those next to me who aren’t ready to come out and live their lives on this lit-up stage,” Phillips said in an interview with his institution. “Being a positive role model is so important in this way. It’s representation, and it’s a signal that it’s OK to be yourself. It’s OK to step into these spaces being as authentically you as you can be.”
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“It’s so, so important to be a positive influence in this world that currently has lots of intolerance and ignorance producing hateful actions,” he added. “I am the only out male athlete at Nebraska, and it’s lonely and isolating at times. But I think back to what if younger me saw me? How secure and hopeful he would be in himself if he saw an out male athlete being so involved and having a prominent role in all athletics and athletic-related departments.”
