Sunday Mizzou defensive end and NFL Draft prospect Michael Sam announced that he was gay setting himself up to be the first such player in the United States to compete in major professional sports. In a perfect world this wouldn’t be a story and you could simply let Sam and any other gay athlete go about their business just like any other individual. Unfortunately though we’re not living in a perfect world and stories like this are going to be put in the spotlight. Quite frankly they’re huge stories but maybe that’s a good thing as this could just be another stepping stone for widespread acceptance.
Needless to say too the timing of Michael Sam’s announcement is also very interesting. It didn’t come when he was a sophomore at Mizzou nor did it come at the beginning of the NFL season while he was still playing in college. It came a week after the Super Bowl when the NFL crazed media and fan base is already starving for some kind of football related news. It also came just a few weeks outside of the NFL Combine and just three months outside the NFL Draft.
So is the NFL ready?
It certainly looks like they are from one aspect which is great. However in another aspect it seems like they’re still idling in the 1980’s.
Upon Sam’s announcement the reaction from NFL players (past and present) and media personalities alike were for the most part very positive and supportive.
Good for Michael Sam.. Hopefully this'll inspire others to be comfortable and proud of who they are
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 10, 2014
Had multiple convos with @MikeSamFootball this year, amazed at his honesty & courage! Once a tiger, ALWAYS a Tiger!
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) February 10, 2014
https://twitter.com/J_Martin71/statuses/432702504212496385
It appears that @Mikesamfootball is a very high character guy. Beyond athletics, this is what u need in the locker room, & on the field.
-SG— Steve Gleason – "Live Impossible" (@SteveGleason) February 10, 2014
Have to applaud Michael Sam on his decision to come out. Very productive player, enjoyed watching (cont) http://t.co/YSWUmQDNB0
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) February 10, 2014
There is no room for bigotry in American sports. It takes courage to change the culture.
— Malcolm Smith (@MalcSmitty) February 10, 2014
Michael Sam isn't the 1st gay player in the NFL although he is the 1st 2 come out.#realtalk Let's show him love like a family member. Truth
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) February 10, 2014
@MikeSamFootball #respect bro. It takes guts to do what you did. I wish u nothing but the best
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 10, 2014
Our statement on Michael Sam: We admire Michael Sam's honesty and courage. Michael is a football player…more
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 10, 2014
But when hearing the comment’s from NFL executives who will ultimately be making the decisions on Sam, you hear hesitation and that idle feeling that the NFL still isn’t ready and stuck in neutral. Sports Illustrated (via Deadspin) ran a couple of articles where they spoke with 12 different NFL GMs, coaches, of whom they believed Sam’s announcement would hurt his draft stock so much so that he may not be drafted at all.
“In the coming decade or two, it’s going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it’s still a man’s-man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It’d chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room.”
“There’s nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the locker room. If you knowingly bring someone in there with that sexual orientation, how are the other guys going to deal with it? It’s going to be a big distraction. That’s the reality.”
“I think it’s going to affect most locker rooms. A lot of guys will be uncomfortable. Ten years from now, fine. But today, I think being openly gay is a factor in the locker room.”
“I just know with this going on this is going to drop him down. There’s no question about it. It’s human nature. Do you want to be the team to quote-unquote ‘break that barrier?'”
And speaking of that draft prospectus for Sam, according to CBS’ 2014 draft board, Sam – in the wake of his announcement – already dropped 70 spots.
Last night right after the news broke. pic.twitter.com/CAx3nADjUh
— Dominik Tarczyński Stan account (@CurtPopejoySW) February 10, 2014
Aside from draft stock the statements by the anonymous GM’s, scouts and coaches are really quite remarkable, especially when they talk about the locker room atmosphere and the impact a gay player might have on it. Is this the same locker room NFL players parade around shirtless in front of female reporters? If they’re comfortable to go shirtless then what’s the issue with a potentially gay teammate? Do the higher ups in the NFL seriously believe that because a player’s gay they simply cannot control their homosexual urges and are going to be eye-humping every single one of their teammates? Or when speaking of the media attention and negative impact on the locker room are we also speaking of the way a good number of NFL players conduct themselves off the field with the arrests and controversy. It’s shocking that these said locker rooms are able to recover from that yet when a teammate is gay there’s not going back to normality.
The bottom line is Michael Sam had 11.5 sacks for a No. 5 Mizzou team that went to the SEC championship last season, a consensus All-American in 2013 and First-team All-SEC defensive end. Prior to his announcement he was slated to go anywhere from the 3rd to 6th round and was pretty much on everyone’s draft board. If he’s not taken every single one of the 32 NFL GM’s, especially those in need of d-line help are going to have some big time explaining to do.
It’s time for the NFL to do some growing up.
