NFL prospect Michael Sam comes out as gay

[NCND]

I'm so sick of the "locker room" "chemistry" argument BS. Every other workplace in America got cool with gay people a long time ago. Why are NFL teams so fragile and precious that they can't be bothered to?
Like Seth Mandel said, I suspect this is more an issue for the old-school scouts and control freak front-office types than it is for actual players.

Have u played competitive sports before?

 

[stlnd01]

Have u played competitive sports before?

High school football. Not since. I'm not sure what difference that makes.

Police departments, fire departments, emergency rooms and lots of other places where people have to work as a team and the stakes are actually much higher than football have been open to gay people for years. Even the military. I'm not saying there's never been an incident in those settings. But in my experience people are a lot more concerned with your ability to do the job than who it is you like to sleep with. I don't understand why pro sports is so different.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Players might not like it, maybe even the majority of them, but no one will care if he does his job on the field.

 

[Brooklyn]

I'd be fine with him on the Giants if he's good value. We need a speed rusher. This news makes no difference for me, but good for him.

 

[DillonHall]

High school football. Not since. I'm not sure what difference that makes.

Police departments, fire departments, emergency rooms and lots of other places where people have to work as a team and the stakes are actually much higher than football have been open to gay people for years. Even the military. I'm not saying there's never been an incident in those settings. But in my experience people are a lot more concerned with your ability to do the job than who it is you like to sleep with. I don't understand why pro sports is so different.

Seriously, if the military is ok with it, then the sports leagues need to get over it

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

He came out to the Mizzou team last offseason and unbalanced the team all the way to a 12-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory.

 

[Luckylucci]

He came out to the Mizzou team last offseason and unbalanced the team all the way to a 12-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory.

Does anybody find it pretty shocking that no body leaked it or said anything about this until now? Glad he gets to be the one to do it. I guess in this new age of social media it seems secrets are never kept.

 

[tko]

Who will the first IE member be to come out?

 

[Irish#1]

FWIW, I've always heard that he's supposed to be a midround pick. Somewhere in the 2-5 range. He's very undersized for DE, but a great pass rusher.

They said the same thing about Freeney and Mathis.

 

[Irish#1]

I agree with him, too.

Btw, Stewart Mandel

Ah. I mostly just follow him on Twitter. He's "S" to me.

Howie Mandel!

 

[T Town Tommy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>We polled 8 NFL execs about how Sam will be received. We got some sobering answers. <a href="http://t.co/SY8CsMArvA">http://t.co/SY8CsMArvA</a></p>— Pete Thamel (@SIPeteThamel) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/statuses/432688791112138752">February 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Quote:
I don't think football is ready for it just yet," said an NFL player personnel assistant. "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.

...

That will break a tie against that player," he 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?

...

There are guys in locker rooms that maturity-wise cannot handle it or deal with the thought of that," the assistant coach said. "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. It shouldn't be, but it will be.

Watching Jerome Bettis discuss it on ESPN tells me that a lot of players won't accept it. He really struggled while trying to discuss the issue with players in the locker room.

I think this will be much like having women reporters in the locker rooms. There will be some issues with it and teams will have to come to grips with it. But there will be issues.

 

[tussin]

BUT WHAT IF IT DISRUPTS THE LOCKER ROOM?!?!?!

 

[Irishman77]

Watching Jerome Bettis discuss it on ESPN tells me that a lot of players won't accept it. He really struggled while trying to discuss the issue with players in the locker room.

I think this will be much like having women reporters in the locker rooms. There will be some issues with it and teams will have to come to grips with it. But there will be issues.

Jerome is a Christian. There are many many Christians in the nfl. They won't bully him , they will just not accept what is clearly wrong.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Jerome is a Christian. There are many many Christians in the nfl. They won't bully him , they will just not accept what is clearly wrong.

I agree with that. It's not the Christian element of the locker room that will cause the issue IMO. As Christians I would hope they show compassion and love for him. Love the sinner, hate the sin. It will be interesting moving forward to see how it all works out. I hope Sam is a Pro Bowler some day... not because he is gay but because he turns into a great player.

 

[IrishLion]

It's going to be a media shitstorm around draft time. Whether he goes earlier or later than projected, people are going to make assumptions and anonymous execs/scouts are going to say contradictory things. He might have a great workout and great interviews with teams and get drafted purely because of his potential as a pass rusher, but some media will say "it's just a publicity stunt, for PR!" And you all know what the story will be if he goes below his projection, even if it is actually for strictly football reasons.

I applaud him, and the most disappointing thing is that many scouts and most owners/GMs are probably very out-of-touch with how tolerant/accepting younger generations are. They are going to assume it will be a super-tough situation for their organization, where the reality is that it won't be nearly as bad as they believe.

The only true negative is that Westboro Baptist is now going to take its talents to NFL games to be "heard," and some poor soul will get arrested for being too drunk and equalizing some of those fools.

 

[cody1smith]

Being form Missouri this was my most sent text message yesterday.

"I would rather have a fake girlfriend than a boyfriend"

 

[RDU Irish]

Why would you think that? If anything I'm sure he's now taken completely off of some teams boards.

some GM will think he has a shot

 

[tussin]

Being form Missouri this was my most sent text message yesterday.

"I would rather have a fake girlfriend than a boyfriend"

Fail.

 

[BeauBenken]

I think this was genius to do this before the draft. How will teams respond? If he drops really far in the draft, then the story of how the league owners and GMs hate gays will arise...which I think is fantastic. Push the issue.

The up and coming generation is light years more accepting than the our predecessors. We've seen the hatred growing up and now encourage people to come out.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I think this was genius to do this before the draft. How will teams respond? If he drops really far in the draft, then the story of how the league owners and GMs hate gays will arise...which I think is fantastic. Push the issue.

The up and coming generation is light years more accepting than the our predecessors. We've seen the hatred growing up and now encourage people to come out.

So now a GM feels pressured to take him so they won't get vilified in the media? That's not the answer either.

I have seen Sam projected everywhere from the late first round to the middle rounds of the draft. Unless a GM specifically states they did not take him because he is gay, it would be unfair to assume that simply to push an issue or agenda.

 

[Corry]

Jerome is a Christian. There are many many Christians in the nfl. They won't bully him , they will just not accept what is clearly wrong in their minds.

FIFY

 

[stlnd01]

It's going to be a media shitstorm around draft time. Whether he goes earlier or later than projected, people are going to make assumptions and anonymous execs/scouts are going to say contradictory things. He might have a great workout and great interviews with teams and get drafted purely because of his potential as a pass rusher, but some media will say "it's just a publicity stunt, for PR!" And you all know what the story will be if he goes below his projection, even if it is actually for strictly football reasons.

I applaud him, and the most disappointing thing is that many scouts and most owners/GMs are probably very out-of-touch with how tolerant/accepting younger generations are. They are going to assume it will be a super-tough situation for their organization, where the reality is that it won't be nearly as bad as they believe.

A bit like Manti Teo. And, assuming he handles it the right way (and there's no reason to think he won't) by the first of October, this will all have blown over and he'll be just another football player. That will be a huge victory.

 

[BeauBenken]

So now a GM feels pressured to take him so they won't get vilified in the media? That's not the answer either.

I have seen Sam projected everywhere from the late first round to the middle rounds of the draft. Unless a GM specifically states they did not take him because he is gay, it would be unfair to assume that simply to push an issue or agenda.

I'm not saying I like that this is the way it has to be, but if that happens, I'm hoping it works through and pushes the issue.

Sometimes you have to force new ways on stubborn people. See: the hiring of black college coaches.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I'm not saying I like that this is the way it has to be, but if that happens, I'm hoping it works through and pushes the issue.

Sometimes you have to force new ways on stubborn people. See: the hiring of black college coaches.

But that comparison really falls under two separate legal issues. One is a protected class... the other is not.

I don't agree with a GM feeling pressured to take a player because the media would vilify them. And a liberal media wanting to push an agenda such as gay rights will have no problem wrongfully accusing a GM who passed on Sam - not because he is gay - but because he wanted to draft someone else that he felt was a better fit for his team's needs.

 

[BeauBenken]

But that comparison really falls under two separate legal issues. One is a protected class... the other is not.

I don't agree with a GM feeling pressured to take a player because the media would vilify them. And a liberal media wanting to push an agenda such as gay rights will have no problem wrongfully accusing a GM who passed on Sam - not because he is gay - but because he wanted to draft someone else that he felt was a better fit for his team's needs.

I get that you don't want them vilified. Neither do I. However, there is a point where we can not be okay with this any longer and something must be done despite what those who are in charge say.

 

[irishog77]

I think this was genius to do this before the draft. How will teams respond? If he drops really far in the draft, then the story of how the league owners and GMs hate gays will arise...which I think is fantastic. Push the issue.

The up and coming generation is light years more accepting than the our predecessors. We've seen the hatred growing up and now encourage people to come out.

I don't know, dude.

Was it genius for Jason Collins to come out, while unemployed, thus pressuring a team to sign him to demonstrate their lack of hate for gays? I mean, after all, there's always a need for big men in the NBA, right?

This is what I don't like, at all, about this situation. I don't care if Sam is gay (nor do I think most people in America personally care). But shouldn't the focus be about him as a football player? No need to create external conflict into the situation.

 

[irishog77]

I get that you don't want them vilified. Neither do I. However, there is a point where we can not be okay with this any longer and something must be done despite what those who are in charge say.

I get what you're saying, Beau.

But now you're coming across almost like there needs to be an affirmative action mandated on NFL teams-- draft a gay player...or forfeit draft picks.

I'm of the school of thought that you can't claim an issue is irrelevant (in this case, one's sexuality), but simultaneously force people to do things about it. Seems hypocritical.

 

[kmoose]

Good for him, and good luck.

If I were him I'd have waited until after the draft. This very well could cost him some money.

I'm betting that whatever money it may cost in terms of where in the draft he goes, he will more than make up for, in endorsement money.

 

[BeauBenken]

I get what you're saying, Beau.

But now you're coming across almost like there needs to be an affirmative action mandated on NFL teams-- draft a gay player...or forfeit draft picks.

I'm of the school of thought that you can't claim an issue is irrelevant (in this case, one's sexuality), but simultaneously force people to do things about it. Seems hypocritical.

Well you know that that's not what I'm trying to say. Don't get carried away.

I'm simply saying that homosexuality shouldn't be discriminated against.

Not trying to come off as the PETA of gay rights or anything.

 

[irishog77]

Well you know that that's not what I'm trying to say. Don't get carried away.

I'm simply saying that homosexuality shouldn't be discriminated against.

Not trying to come off as the PETA of gay rights or anything.

I see. Well that's fine.

But using words like "Sometimes you have to force new ways on stubborn people," and "there is a point where we can not be okay with this any longer and something must be done despite what those who are in charge say" comes across differently. I mistook that for you being more militant, if you will, in the approach to the issue.

It's all good.