SEC DPOTY: Michael Sam announced he is gay

[Sarlacc83]

Boy, if Sam goes undrafted, that means he will be the dominant story of the ENTIRE DRAFT. Make no mistake, he will be the dominant storyline of that draft until the moment he gets drafted. And he might not be drafted.

I think kearly is spot on with both his posts. If the guy gets cut or if he goes undrafted, it'll be because of his sexual orientation, not because of how he might have played on the field or because of his physical tangibles. The media will do everyone a disservice by not treating him as a regular player - in turn dumbing down the narrative about his real potential.

On the other hand, some NFL owner might persuade his GM to draft the guy out of sheer desire to have the media/nation's goodwill. Cynical or smart, I guess the individual can decide.

Unfortunately he's not a regular player. The reason this is a story is because it IS a story. How the NFL and how the world in general views gay people is something of interest and something that is for the first time on the forefront of media and debate. The movie Philadelphia was big because it was a great movie but also because it happened at a time in which the true view of AIDS and gays were of what the characters in the movie dealt with. This is real life and just because we want to view players and this sport as something outside the realm of reality it's just not possible.

Whether he gets drafted or plays in the NFL will be in large part of whether he has the ability to do it. If he doesn't get drafted some will ask a legitimate question whether his sexuality had something to do with it, doesn't mean it's the case, but it certainly would be a question.

Until homosexuality is accepted in mainstream culture fully his career will have much to do with that. Whether he's a terrible NFL player, an average player or a great.

I don't see any NFL owner drafting him because he's gay. The NFL doesn't need stories to get in the newspaper or talked about in the media. If Tebow isn't signed by Jacksonville for PR and ticket sales why would you think a gay player is signed by a team?

His sexuality can only be a deterrent and that's why it's an issue.

I disagree that some will ask if his ability was a legitimate reason why he wasn't drafted. Once again, I am 100% positive the media will dumb down the storyline. Your final line even hints to that, otherwise you wouldn't assume acceptance in some locker room. (As it was reported that Missouri locker room accepted him.) It can only be negative right?

Second, how can you say the NFL doesn't need storylines to get in the newspaper? That's entirely what the NFL wants and needs and it's what they get. How else would they stay in the limelight? You don' think the DUIs and shootings and such play into a huge narrative? In your example, the Tebow storyline had such legs for this exact reason, which is why the rumors continued to surface a year after he was out of football. Ultimately, Tebow didn't get signed because his tape won out over his PR campaign, and because the backlash against him was greater than the minority voices. To the point of dumbing down the narrative, the minority of his devout followers were made into a majority to give the story legs. The NFL thrives on being a huge soap opera, and that is what this is ultimately going to be about - through no fault of Michael Sam.

 

[SonicHawk]

Homosexuality may be unpopular to a 'minority' but that isn't an insignificant minority.

 

[ivotuk]

I hope the Seahawks draft him. Pete Carroll is progressive enough, the locker room is strong enough, and it would be a step in the right direction for the NFL. He has the talent to play in the NFL and he has already dealt with the locker room issue, in Missouri no less. Good for him. Whoever drafts him will get a good player and I think he has the talent to prove his value in the locker room.

 

[TXHawkFan]

I don't really care if he's gay or not, if he can play I hope the Seahawks draft him. If he can't play I hope the 49ers draft him.

What I'm afraid of is that this is now going to turn into Manti Teo's Fake Girlfriend 2.0, ie a story that will dominate the NFL media between now and the draft. Not looking forward to it.

 

[ivotuk]

I don't really care if he's gay or not, if he can play I hope the Seahawks draft him. If he can't play I hope the 49ers draft him.

What I'm afraid of is that this is now going to turn into Manti Teo's Fake Girlfriend 2.0, ie a story that will dominate the NFL media between now and the draft. Not looking forward to it.

Ugh, hadn't thought of that. I have even more respect for the young man then. He probably has a lot of respect for Manti Teo for weathering such a shitstorm, I know I do.

 

[volsunghawk]

I don't really care if he's gay or not, if he can play I hope the Seahawks draft him. If he can't play I hope the 49ers draft him.

What I'm afraid of is that this is now going to turn into Manti Teo's Fake Girlfriend 2.0, ie a story that will dominate the NFL media between now and the draft. Not looking forward to it.

Notice how no one gave a damn about Te'O after the draft and stuff was over and he was just an NFL player? There will always be a few references here and there, but they'll get fewer and fewer as long as he proves he can play.

I understand those who argue that this shouldn't be a big story and personal sexual preference should remain personal. I also understand those who worry about the media attention. But consider this. What if Sam had just said nothing and just lived openly without any announcement? What happens the first time a news team's camera catches him greeting his boyfriend? Do you trust the media to go, "Oh, that must be his boyfriend. They look like a nice couple. Now, let's go see if the coach has any insight into next week's gameplan."

Yeah, no... it's going to be a shitstorm. And if the team and his teammates have a media shitstorm thrust upon them, how's that going to play out? Not well.

So Sam's real options were either to be closeted and actively HIDE a part of his life (which hetero players simply don't have to do), or put it all in the open and let the chips fall where they may. It's not about him trying to shove his lifestyle down anyone's throat. It's about him making the only decision that would allow him to live his life without having to hide a secret while joining a profession that subjects him to loads of media attention. It's not only being true to himself, it's being fair to every team and potential teammate he might have in the NFL.

 

[Shadowhawk]

The bigger distraction than how this will be accepted in the locker room is the over-the-top media coverage we will see for the next several months. This will be THE story through the Combine and leading up to the draft. It will be talked about ad nauseum during the draft. If he starts sliding on draft day or goes undrafted the speculation will be that it is happening because he came out. Whatever team he ends up with will have to deal with multiple players being asked questions about how they deal with a gay player in the locker room. And heaven forbid one of their answers is less than positive (or is PERCEIVED as less than positive) because that player will be the focal point of so much wrath from the media that it will make the Riley Cooper incident last year look tame by comparison. And if he doesn't make a team's final roster? Look out....

It's not the kid's fault, but the media will make him the focal point in their coverage for the better part of 2014, whether it's because they are looking for stories or want to demonstrate their belief in their moral superiority by canonizing him. If sportswriters wanted to do the kid a favor they would write about him as a football player and ignore the rest, but that will never happen.

 

[JGfromtheNW]

Good for Sams. Man, that takes a lot of courage, especially doing it before the draft. To many, this is a nonissue, but this is a pretty big deal. As long as he gets drafted, he will be the first openly gay player in any of America's main four sports. There is still a large portion of this country that doesn't support the LGBT community and it's one of the worst things in society today.

I couldn't imagine having to live my life in discomfort and the thought that others think less of me because of something I could not choose. Homosexuality is not a choice, yet there are so many who believe it as some terrible life decision that people should be treated like dirt over.

I think we can all agree that this, in no way, helps his draft stock and I'm sure he knows this as well. It is going to be very interesting to see what happens between now and the final roster cuts. I would definitely welcome someone like this to the Seahawks. The character and courage displayed to break a barrier like this speaks far more than some bigot mouthing off about how gay players aren't welcome in NFL locker rooms - any day of the week.

Some may call it an attention grab for his "15 minutes of fame," but that's idiotic (sorry, it is). Why on Earth would someone before getting hired to the biggest job of his life come out and say something that he knows could end up ruining his chances at it? Just so people can talk about him and then write him off to never see him again? It's called having pride, integrity and being your own man. He doesn't want to live his life in fear and eventually get blindsided by the media in the future.

 

[Wartooth]

Not a question of whether being gay is right or wrong...
What the problem will be is that not just the sports media, but ALL media will be all over this!
The media is agenda driven, they are reactionary, and they no longer report news, they fabricate it.
Taking this guy would be a huge distraction for any team, because no matter how well the team might handle his choices...
The media would be forever waiting for anything they could judge as bad treatment of this guy to pounce, and blow it out of proportion.
In fact I'll go as far as to say that if the team that took him didn't treat him 'extra special', the media would have a problem with that!
Just look at the whole Martin/Incognito thing...That was media driven, and was blown way out of proportion.

 

[-The Glove-]

I don't really care if he's gay or not, if he can play I hope the Seahawks draft him. If he can't play I hope the 49ers draft him.

What I'm afraid of is that this is now going to turn into Manti Teo's Fake Girlfriend 2.0, ie a story that will dominate the NFL media between now and the draft. Not looking forward to it.

Notice how no one gave a damn about Te'O after the draft and stuff was over and he was just an NFL player? There will always be a few references here and there, but they'll get fewer and fewer as long as he proves he can play.

I understand those who argue that this shouldn't be a big story and personal sexual preference should remain personal. I also understand those who worry about the media attention. But consider this. What if Sam had just said nothing and just lived openly without any announcement? What happens the first time a news team's camera catches him greeting his boyfriend? Do you trust the media to go, "Oh, that must be his boyfriend. They look like a nice couple. Now, let's go see if the coach has any insight into next week's gameplan."

Yeah, no... it's going to be a shitstorm. And if the team and his teammates have a media shitstorm thrust upon them, how's that going to play out? Not well.

So Sam's real options were either to be closeted and actively HIDE a part of his life (which hetero players simply don't have to do), or put it all in the open and let the chips fall where they may. It's not about him trying to shove his lifestyle down anyone's throat. It's about him making the only decision that would allow him to live his life without having to hide a secret while joining a profession that subjects him to loads of media attention. It's not only being true to himself, it's being fair to every team and potential teammate he might have in the NFL.

Very well said!!!

 

[Hasselbeck]

I hope the Seahawks draft him. Pete Carroll is progressive enough, the locker room is strong enough, and it would be a step in the right direction for the NFL. He has the talent to play in the NFL and he has already dealt with the locker room issue, in Missouri no less. Good for him. Whoever drafts him will get a good player and I think he has the talent to prove his value in the locker room.

I only hope the Seahawks draft him if they believe he will contribute on this team, not because he's gay and they want him to fit in.

 

[SonicHawk]

Not a question of whether being gay is right or wrong...
What the problem will be is that not just the sports media, but ALL media will be all over this!
The media is agenda driven, they are reactionary, and they no longer report news, they fabricate it.
Taking this guy would be a huge distraction for any team, because no matter how well the team might handle his choices...
The media would be forever waiting for anything they could judge as bad treatment of this guy to pounce, and blow it out of proportion.
In fact I'll go as far as to say that if the team that took him didn't treat him 'extra special', the media would have a problem with that!
Just look at the whole Martin/Incognito thing...That was media driven, and was blown way out of proportion.

None of what you said is reality. Martin/Incognito was a bigger story because Martin literally left the team because of how he was being treated in the locker room.

There's no distraction for the team. He'll be in camp like everyone else playing football, trying to make the roster, what do you think he's going to do... have a gay pride parade in the middle of OTAs?

 

[SonicHawk]

I hope the Seahawks draft him. Pete Carroll is progressive enough, the locker room is strong enough, and it would be a step in the right direction for the NFL. He has the talent to play in the NFL and he has already dealt with the locker room issue, in Missouri no less. Good for him. Whoever drafts him will get a good player and I think he has the talent to prove his value in the locker room.

I only hope the Seahawks draft him if they believe he will contribute on this team, not because he's gay and they want him to fit in.

I don't think we need to worry about his ability to contribute considering he led the SEC in sacks and TFL.

 

[Hasselbeck]

I don't think we need to worry about his ability to contribute considering he led the SEC in sacks and TFL.

While he had a good season.. 9 of those sacks came against the likes of Arkansas State, Vanderbilt and Florida (the same Florida OL that was blocking themselves mind you) .. it's not like the 10.5 sacks were spread out evenly over the course of the season.

Look.. I admire the mans courage for coming out and I hope he has a good career. But saying "I hope we draft him because he's gay!" is foolish.. I don't care if these guys have a sexual attraction to a pineapple.. I just want players who will contribute to this organization.

 

[volsunghawk]

I don't think we need to worry about his ability to contribute considering he led the SEC in sacks and TFL.

While he had a good season.. 9 of those sacks came against the likes of Arkansas State, Vanderbilt and Florida (the same Florida OL that was blocking themselves mind you) .. it's not like the 10.5 sacks were spread out evenly over the course of the season.

Look.. I admire the mans courage for coming out and I hope he has a good career. But saying "I hope we draft him because he's gay!" is foolish.. I don't care if these guys have a sexual attraction to a pineapple.. I just want players who will contribute to this organization.

Exactly. And I think that Sam would prefer if he's drafted according to his merits and earns his position on any team based on his on-the-field contributions. It doesn't sound like he wants to be a spokesman for anything, and I don't think he'd prefer to be anyone's mascot.

Sam had a great season for Mizzou, but he is pegged as a mid-round pick. There are doubts about his size, for one (though we all know how silly that can be). And some guys' skills in college just don't translate as readily to the pros.

The only thing I hope is that some team gives him a chance to compete for a job and isn't scared off by the specter of a media circus. And I hope that the beat reporters for whatever team gives him that shot are fair to him when talking about his performance on the field. Don't dismiss it because he's gay. Don't inflate it because he's gay. Treat him like an NFL player.

 

[Scottemojo]

I don't think he is going to meet the LEO profile. He has long arms, right weight, but I don't think he is even close to the athlete they would look for at that spot. His pass rush repertoire is limited, he played almost exclusively RDE, and he looked a bit slow for the LEO to me.

 

[SonicHawk]

I don't think he is going to meet the LEO profile. He has long arms, right weight, but I don't think he is even close to the athlete they would look for at that spot. His pass rush repertoire is limited, he played almost exclusively RDE, and he looked a bit slow for the LEO to me.

I agree. I don't think he has a place on the Seahawks as far as his skillset.

 

[jack_patera]

who cares who he prefers to slow dance with...as long as a guy can produce on the football field, that's all that would matter to me...

 

[SonicHawk]

who cares

A lot of people unfortunately.

 

[Marvin49]

He is either a) trying to get his 15 minutes of fame, or b) hoping his stock drops enough as a result so that Pete and John will take him as yet another late round steal in the draft.

I doubt very much most of America cares what people do in their private sexual lives. I also find it somewhat interesting so many feel the compulsion to make a huge deal out of it and make sure everyone else knows damned well what their sexual preferences are, and feel the need to announce it loud and long enough to get a rise out of a few who don't share their beliefs.

The gay community is the new Jehovah's Witnesses. "Knock, knock; I'm wondering if you'll take a few minutes to hear the wonderful story of how I'M GAY!"

Actually I think its more like his teammates at Mizzou already knew he was gay so teams were already finding out. He decided to out himself before he was outed by someone else.

As a player though I'm dubious. Physically he reminds me a bit of James Harrison. He also has short arms which isn't great for a pass rusher. Then again that was the knock on Justin Smith when he was drafted.