In the hours since Michael Sam publicly announced his sexual preference, players from around the country have come out in support.
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Sam, expected to be one of the top members of the upcoming NFL draft, is openly gay in his private life. He came out publicly in a series of pieces with ESPN and the The New York Times over the weekend. The former University of Missouri Tiger also took to his Twitter page to confirm the reports.
I want to thank everybody for their support and encouragement,especially @espn, @nytimes and @nfl. I am proud to tell my story to the world!
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSam52) February 10, 2014
Since Sam’s announcement, scores of football players have made statements saying that they would support him if he were on their team. The common thread among many of these comments is simple: players look at Sam for the man that he is and the player he could be, and have publicly stated that these things are more important than sexual preference.
Good for Michael Sam. Takes courage for where he is in his career and where we are as a league. I applaud him.
— Tom Crabtree (@itsCrab) February 10, 2014
https://twitter.com/J_Martin71/status/432702504212496385
I could care less about a man's sexual preference! i care about winning games and being respectful in the locker room!
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) February 10, 2014
Great courage by SEC Def POY…It's time for the NFL to show it's colors!⚡️"NFL Prospect Michael Sam Comes Out http://t.co/HRKzwUeS2M"
— Tiki Barber (@TikiBarber) February 10, 2014
While possible future teammates and NFL legends are backing Sam in public, some executives have grown skeptical of his draft prospects in private. According to one anonymous executive the 2013 All American could be a distraction.
“That will break a tie against that player,” the former general manager said. “Every time. Unless he’s Superman. Why? Not that they’re against gay people. It’s more that some players are going to look at you upside down. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the media is going to show up, from Good Housekeeping to the Today show. A general manager is going to ask, ‘Why are we going to do that to ourselves?,” the anonymous executive told Sports Illustrated.
The same executive would go on to say that while most teams were already aware of Sam’s orientation, there were a few caught off guard by Sunday’s announcement. Asked whether this would hurt Sam’s once promising draft chances, the insider believed it would, “Quite a bit.”
From Sports Illustrated:
“You’re going to have to have one confident general manager or head coach that is certainly entrenched in his position and established to draft a player like that,” the assistant personnel director said. “It’s one thing to have Chris Kluwe or Brendon Ayanbadejo, advocates for gay rights, on your team. It’s another to have a current confirmed player.”
Multiple NFL executives questioned Sam’s decision to come out now, as he will be the biggest story in football between now and the NFL draft on May 8. The NFL combine from Feb. 22-25 could turn into a four-day referendum on Sam’s professional future. And his place in the NFL draft will be endlessly debated between now and May.
An NFL assistant coach called Sam’s decision “not a smart move,” as he said it “legitimately affects [his] potential earnings.” It wasn’t lost on the NFL executives that former NBA player Jason Collins, who came out last April in a Sports Illustrated story, hasn’t been signed by an NBA team this year.