Michael Sam could be the first openly gay NFL player
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
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James Christensen @NEPatriotsDraft 4m
The way the Missouri Football team handled this - silence - says a lot about them and most football players. They are good human beings.
Spencer Hall @edsbs 13m
My favorite part of the story: Sam came out to his team at Mizzou in the summer of 2013, and they supported him.
The way the Missouri Football team handled this - silence - says a lot about them and most football players. They are good human beings.
Spencer Hall @edsbs 13m
My favorite part of the story: Sam came out to his team at Mizzou in the summer of 2013, and they supported him.
SEC Defensive Player of the Year and likely to be a late first or second round pick. I think he'll get drafted.mikeford said:
Good for him coming out to the public on his own terms.
Really good point
Justin Miller @justinjm1 7m
Gay NFL players now must decide whether they want a rookie to be the first open one in the league
Justin Miller @justinjm1 7m
Gay NFL players now must decide whether they want a rookie to be the first open one in the league
This is good stuff. I'm really rooting for him now and I'd tip my cap his way if I were wearing one. And I was around him.
I hope Chicago drafts him.
I haven't heard that high. CBS has him 90th right now.
Dernells Casket n Flagon said:
I haven't heard that high. CBS has him 90th right now.
phragle said:
Reading a few more stories, this sounds right. I had done a quick search and Eric Edholm's mock draft had him at 32 to Denver (hahahahahaha) but no one else seems to rate him quite that high.
Dernells Casket n Flagon said:
I see him as a lat 2nd or 3rd rounder, mainly because he's a tweener. 6'2" 260. But Missouri's defense was fun to watch this season, him and Kony Ealy were in the backfield often. He has a high motor. IIRC I think Sam started the season so well that he got doubled a bit more later in the season, when Ealy's numbers went up. Ealy's a bigger guy so he'll probably go earlier. But Sam could be the Elvis Dumervil of this draft.
Good luck to the guy--definitely rooting for him.
I do hope it is a strong organization that drafts him, because I suspect there will be a circus especially early in the year and not many organizations/coaches/lockerrooms will handle it well enough to give the guy a clean shot at showing what he can do on the field.
I do hope it is a strong organization that drafts him, because I suspect there will be a circus especially early in the year and not many organizations/coaches/lockerrooms will handle it well enough to give the guy a clean shot at showing what he can do on the field.
Good for him, it takes legitimate courage to do something like this.
It wouldn't surprise me if this spurred current gay NFL players to come out between now and the draft, and this issue was a total non-factor in where he gets drafted.
It wouldn't surprise me if this spurred current gay NFL players to come out between now and the draft, and this issue was a total non-factor in where he gets drafted.
Luis Taint said:
I'm not a draftnik so I have no idea if he would actually fit, but I can already picture BB's gloriously condescending "Michael Sam is a football player" answers to asinine press conference questions.
Jimy Hendrix said:
"I have as little interest in his personal life as I do in yours, Albert. Do you have a football question for me?"
soxhop411 said:
Um, why not, asshole?
Edit: I'm calling the cowardly scout an asshole, not soxhop.
Isn't it conventional wisdom that the NFL blacklisted Kerry Rhodes? Guy was rated as the fourth-best safety in the NFL and was out of a job after being outed basically.
F'd up. But it speaks to that "don't want to break the barrier" asshole being the norm.
F'd up. But it speaks to that "don't want to break the barrier" asshole being the norm.
I mean, we all saw how being the team that broke the barrier blew up in the faces of the Brooklyn Dodges.Van Everyman said:
LeoCarrillo said:
Really wish BB had brought him in. Could have used him this year over Gregory.
Van Everyman said:
Right, because Branch Rickey is remembered poorly. Guess nobody wants Zac Efron to play them in the movie in 40 years.
I mean, Kerry Rhodes wasn't open. I guarantee there's at least one owner who wants the legacy of signing the first openly gay active player in the 4 bigs.
Luis Taint said:
Jimy Hendrix said:
RT @mikefreemanNFL: NFL scout texts top 5 best locker rooms for Michael Sam: Seahawks, Patriots, Green Bay, Colts, Giants.PedroKsBambino said:
those seem right
Peter King @SI_PeterKing 5m
One GM told me he doesn't think Sam will be drafted.
Sure…. Just becuase of this?
Peter King @SI_PeterKing 8m
That GM: "We don't think he's a very good player. The reality is he's an overrated player in out estimation."
One GM told me he doesn't think Sam will be drafted.
Sure…. Just becuase of this?
Peter King @SI_PeterKing 8m
That GM: "We don't think he's a very good player. The reality is he's an overrated player in out estimation."
I'll admit to my first thought being, "Maybe this will make him slip to the 7th round to be this year's Dennard."Luis Taint said:
The quotes from that SI piece really are shitty. "It might be a problem in the locker room, because they toss around 'fag' a lot in there." Well maybe make them stop doing that, asshats. And I would point out that Michael Sam caused such a locker room distraction with Mizzou coming out to his teammates last summer that they went on to their best season in years. Presumably that locker room is less mature and "professional' than one in the NFL.
absintheofmalaise said:
The scouting report is by Bill Connelly, who writes great analytical stuff on college football for SBN, and is also a Mizzou grad
Just realized Sam is 24, that's going to be a knock on him, that he's old for the class.
It's also interesting that apparently many scouts already knew, so his projected draft range may already take it into account
Good for him! And if people are stupid enough to let someone talented drop in the draft because of his sexuality, I hope the Patriots jump at the chance to draft him.
As a completely unrelated aside, I wish he had been a linebacker, just to hear "Sam is the Mike" and "Mike is the Sam".
As a completely unrelated aside, I wish he had been a linebacker, just to hear "Sam is the Mike" and "Mike is the Sam".
really doubt that. he's been projected as a round 3-5 guy by just about every reputable draft site. he usually ranks somewhere between 10th and 15th among DE.Dernells Casket n Flagon said:
If I were a gay professional athlete, I'd be worried about what part of the country I would end up having to live in than what locker room I was going too. Sam might have a more difficult time of it in Texas or a Southern red state than the pacific northwest or Buffalo.soxhop411 said:
According to the interview Sam a lot of scouts already new that he was gay because scouts had asked his teammates, so instead of it leaking out he wanted to control his story. Which is awesome and I think a smart strategy on this part. If it is true that Kerry Rhodes, a player who isn't out, has been blackballed then it really does make sense to just come out and be honest about his sexuality if the teams already know. I think it decreases the chance that Sam could be blackballed like Rhodes is/has been/if it's true.
soxhop411 said:
Based on..... what exactly? The forward thinking Tom Coughlin? The ability of the Patriots to keep guys out of legal trouble? The way the Colts hang together when a key player like the starting quarterback gets injured? How the Hawks will make sure there are no PED temptations around him?
I imagine these teams are conspicuous for treating that scout well, giving Freeman good scoops or have the best pupus in the press box.
A strong position coach and a couple of strong veteran leaders who are comfortable answering questions about this every week are the key things a franchise has to measure if they are going to take him where he is valued. If he lasts two or three rounds beyond where he should, teams will just pick him on value and not give a fuck about the "distractions."
He has the guts to make this public, yet the NFL types downplaying his chances hide behind anonymous source privileges. It's one of those times I wish the Peter Kings of this world would get opinions on the record
King actually addresses this, and I admit he does have a good point about why he went this route:
King actually addresses this, and I admit he does have a good point about why he went this route:
None of these guys (except perhaps Jerry Jones) are willing to give away even a small piece of their draft board at this point.
Take away the distraction aspect of Sam's first 2 or 3 months being in the league. Picking an all SEC defensive end as a mid round pick makes all the sense in the world.
If Tebow taught us anything it's that this team can handle distractions.
If Tebow taught us anything it's that this team can handle distractions.
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