New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has apologised for making comments that could be construed as offensive towards gay people.

Vilma said during a recent interview that an openly gay player would not necessarily be readily accepted in an NFL locker room, before hinting that he would be uncomfortable in such a scenario.

"Imagine if he's the guy next to me and I get dressed naked, taking a shower, the whole nine [yards], and it just so happens he looks at me. How am I supposed to respond?" Vilma told NFL Network.

However, since that interview, Michael Sam has publicly come out and will become the first openly gay player in NFL history if he is chosen by a team in May's Draft, prompting Vilma to clarify his comments.

"People are resistant to change at times, and it's not just as simple as coming into the locker room. My words, it was a poor illustration of the example I was trying to give on the context so I do apologize for that," Vilma told CNN.

"I was trying to explain that whenever you have change into something that's been set in stone for so long or you've had something that's been going for so long, that change always comes with a little resistance.

"It was a poor choice of an example that I used, so I apologize for that."

Sam is expected to be chosen between the third and fifth rounds of this year's NFL Draft.