Rams selected Michael Sam in exchange for HK exemption...

It’s long been believed that the Rams used a late-round draft pick two years ago on defensive end Michael Sam at the behest of the league office. Long-time NFL reporter Howard Balzer, who has focused his attention in recent years on the Rams, reports that the arrangement had a quid pro quo.

Balzer cites multiple unnamed sources in support of the notion that, in exchange for the Rams drafting Sam, the league office agreed not to compel the Rams to serve as the focus of the Hard Knocks series in 2014.

Per Balzer, the league viewed the Rams as the ideal landing spot for Sam, the first openly-gay NFL player, because of the team’s proximity (at the time) to the University of Missouri, where Sam played college football.

Sam, who was added to a depth chart that included a glut of pass rushers, was cut by the Rams before the start of the 2014 regular season. He thereafter spent time on the Cowboys’ practice squad before being released and otherwise ignored by all NFL teams.

Balzer also speculates that the league office possibly twisted arms elsewhere to ensure that defensive end Ethan Westbrooks would not be drafted by other teams over the final seven picks in the 2014 draft so that the Rams could sign him as an undrafted free agent. Westbrooks made the 53-man roster that year. Westbrooks received a $20,000 signing bonus and $30,000 in guaranteed salary for the first year of his contract.

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Ramfan128":192cl7li said:

This has been refuted. I personally don't think it's true because there was a ton of coverage when the Rams drafted him...I don't think they are all that good at acting.

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Uncle Si":27gd3hwq said:

Ramfan128":27gd3hwq said:

This has been refuted. I personally don't think it's true because there was a ton of coverage when the Rams drafted him...I don't think they are all that good at acting.

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It has been refuted or you don't believe it?

It’s totally believable that they’d do this to avoid Hard Knocks. Jeff Fisher has a history of avoiding distractions from the regular season like preseason TV shows or postseason playoff games.

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OkieHawk":lirceor0 said:

Uncle Si":lirceor0 said:

Ramfan128":lirceor0 said:

This has been refuted. I personally don't think it's true because there was a ton of coverage when the Rams drafted him...I don't think they are all that good at acting.

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It has been refuted or you don't believe it?

It’s totally believable that they’d do this to avoid Hard Knocks. Jeff Fisher has a history of avoiding distractions from the regular season like preseason TV shows or postseason playoff games.

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They are on Hard Knocks this year though.

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Uncle Si":2jzg8ptw said:

OkieHawk":2jzg8ptw said:

Uncle Si":2jzg8ptw said:

Ramfan128":2jzg8ptw said:

This has been refuted. I personally don't think it's true because there was a ton of coverage when the Rams drafted him...I don't think they are all that good at acting.

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It has been refuted or you don't believe it?

It’s totally believable that they’d do this to avoid Hard Knocks. Jeff Fisher has a history of avoiding distractions from the regular season like preseason TV shows or postseason playoff games.

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They are on Hard Knocks this year though.

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Don't ruin my joke.

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pehawk":pb5r35qc said:

It was a good joke, Si.

Kroenke will be Goodell's lackey for awhile given the LA deal. This goes to show he's always been his lackey.

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SomersetHawk":2j05bdw9 said:

Hey Jeff, draft that gay dude with two first names with your last pick and we'll penalize the crap out of the Seahawks when you play them.

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Uncle Si":jqh1b7sc said:

Ramfan128":jqh1b7sc said:

This has been refuted. I personally don't think it's true because there was a ton of coverage when the Rams drafted him...I don't think they are all that good at acting.

Click to expand...

It has been refuted or you don't believe it?

It’s totally believable that they’d do this to avoid Hard Knocks. Jeff Fisher has a history of avoiding distractions from the regular season like preseason TV shows or postseason playoff games.

Click to expand...

pehawk":24nr0nvl said:

It was a good joke, Si.

Kroenke will be Goodell's lackey for awhile given the LA deal. This goes to show he's always been his lackey.

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Ramfan128":2zeudtlf said:

pehawk":2zeudtlf said:

It was a good joke, Si.

Kroenke will be Goodell's lackey for awhile given the LA deal. This goes to show he's always been his lackey.

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It was okay - nothing original. Maybe Seahawk fans keep going back to Fisher's non-playoff seasons because they're insecure? I'm no Fisher fan but it's ironic that he gets bashed so much when the Seahawks can't beat him..

I don't think any owner would be Goodell's lackey - they pay his salary. If anything, he is their lackey.

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kearly":93sh5y4f said:

I was honestly shocked when Sam was drafted. As an openly gay player with horrible athleticism, he had very low upside and very high downside. Given that GMs view draft picks as business decisions where risk is carefully weighed, there's no way that Sam would have been drafted based on his risk/reward.

Given Fisher's connections to Goodell and that the pick was just 7 slots from UDFA, it's pretty obvious that something was going on underneath the surface.

FWIW, I have no problem with this. SAM got an opportunity that might not have been afforded without league intervention. Sam took advantage of this opportunity in more ways than one. He opened up a merch site and had planned a reality show on Oprah's network. Sam made these moves because he knew he wasn't an NFL athlete and had a small window to cash in. The way I see it, both sides used each other.

People will say this is proof that the NFL isn't yet ready for an openly gay player and to that I say "No shit, Sherlock." Anyone who believed that a player of Michael Sam's caliber could change the NFL was kidding themselves.

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