NFL prospect Michael Sam comes out as gay

[STLDomer]

http://nyti.ms/1aLva6P

 

[IrishLax]

Michael Sam comes out as gay

Michael Sam comes out as gay

Going to be the first openly gay player in the NFL. Quickly trending to where this kind of thing is not going to be newsworthy at all.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>BREAKING: Missouri DE Michael Sam, SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year, says he is gay; could become first openly gay NFL player.</p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/statuses/432681013177638912">February 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[zelezo vlk]

Good for him.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[GEORGIA DOMER]

Congrats to him!

 

[Corry]

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.

 

[greyhammer90]

Cool, was wondering when this would happen.

 

[gkIrish]

I've seen some people say this will hurt his draft stock. I actually think he gets drafted a full round higher than his projection due to this announcement.

 

[Classic Irish]

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

 

[Corry]

I've seen some people say this will hurt his draft stock. I actually think he gets drafted a full round higher than his projection due to this announcement.

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

 

[STLDomer]

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.

He didn't want it leaked and wanted to announce it himself.

I've seen some people say this will hurt his draft stock. I actually think he gets drafted a full round higher than his projection due to this announcement.

He's already projected 1st round by most I've seen

 

[greyhammer90]

I've seen some people say this will hurt his draft stock. I actually think he gets drafted a full round higher than his projection due to this announcement.

He was co-defensive SEC player of the year. He was going high no matter what.

 

[BGIF]

Going to be the first openly gay player in the NFL. Quickly trending to where this kind of thing is not going to be newsworthy at all.

For those announcing as established players, yes. I see the timing prior to the draft as interesting. Is it forthcoming or a finesse to pressure teams not to drop him down in the draft. Now that he's announced if he drops from low First Round into the second was it due to activities on field or off field? There's no sample to gauge by.

Did Te'O drop in the draft because of questions about he technique, size, footspeed, etc, or because of his "relationship"? Any club that passed isn't going to say why. They're just going to say the other player fitted their needs better.

 

[gkIrish]

He's already projected 1st round by most I've seen

I haven't seen one honestly. I haven't looked recently but the few articles I checked said he was a 2nd-3rd rounder.

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

For every team that takes him completely off the board there will be a team that will want to draft him for the publicity. It's a business first and foremost.

 

[TCramer]

Uhhh...He's definitely not a first round pick. I don't know what mock drafts you've been looking at but this guys a mid round pick (2nd-3rd)

 

[BGIF]

Mileage May Vary!

Mileage May Vary!

I haven't seen one honestly. I haven't looked recently but the few articles I checked said he was a 2nd-3rd rounder.


For every team that takes him completely off the board there will be a team that will want to draft him for the publicity. It's a business first and foremost.

I did before posting. I believe Yahoo had him last First Round, last pick. #32 (the other five selections are first 5 of Second Round).

Y! SPORTS


On another site listing by position, he was the #3 DE.

 

[STLDomer]

I haven't seen one honestly. I haven't looked recently but the few articles I checked said he was a 2nd-3rd rounder.



For every team that takes him completely off the board there will be a team that will want to draft him for the publicity. It's a business first and foremost.

Uhhh...He's definitely not a first round pick. I don't know what mock drafts you've been looking at but this guys a mid round pick (2nd-3rd)

I may have gotten him and Kony Ealy mixed up them. My mistake

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

<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>

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.

 

[IrishLax]

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.

 

[gkIrish]

I did before posting. I believe CBSSports had him last First Round 4 or 5 slots from the last First Round pick.

On another site listing by position, he was the #3 DE.

Don't know what CBS site you're looking at because he isn't listed on either of the mocks they have up on their main site. Also not listed in the top 50 on their Big Board

Big Board: Clinton-Dix fits new NFL prototype at free safety - NFL, NFLDRAFT - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

I've checked multiple sites and he isn't listed as a first rounder on any of those either. Checked with my friend who runs a NFL scouting website and he said most experts project him as a 2nd to 3rd rounder right now before the announcement.

 

[greyhammer90]

Honestly he should go to New England. If Belichick is good at one thing it's media lockdown.

 

[BGIF]

Don't know what CBS site you're looking at because he isn't listed on either of the mocks they have up on their main site. Also not listed in the top 50 on their Big Board

Big Board: Clinton-Dix fits new NFL prototype at free safety - NFL, NFLDRAFT - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com

I've checked multiple sites and he isn't listed as a first rounder on any of those either. Checked with my friend who runs a NFL scouting website and he said most experts project him as a 2nd to 3rd rounder right now before the announcement.

It was Yahoo, mea culpa. I corrected my post and included the link and slot.

32. Denver Broncos
Missouri DE Michael Sam
Sam’s teammate, Kony Ealy, might be the more prototypical NFL end, but Sam has some electric edge-rushing capabilities, and he never stops moving. The team has missed that aspect since Elvis Dumervil faxed his way out of down, and the similarly built Sam would be a natural replacement

I'm not promoting just reporting what I read. I was surprised that a 6-1 guy would be that high. I remember other shorter players like Dat Nyguyen (spelling?) and Rich Glover. Dominant college AA's that got buried in the NFL. Then there's Sam Mills but Mills wasn't a First Rounder.

 

[NCND]

<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>

Totally agree with all of this. Straight up reality.

 

[notredomer23]

They should base it off of his tumultuous life that he has had to overcome prior to Missouri. The dude has had to overcome TONS of obstacles and roadblocks in his life. This is nothing for him.

 

[STLDomer]

“@slmandel: The problem is, the 50+ year old men making draft decisions will likely underestimate the acceptance of Sam by today's 20something players.”

Very true IMO

 

[dshans]

Totally agree with all of this. Straight up reality.

So just what steps, what gestures, what measures will it take to bring so-called reality to meet the real?

 

[dre1919]

Good for him. Give 'em Hell.

 

[stlnd01]

Totally agree with all of this. Straight up reality.

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.

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

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.

I agree with him, too.

Btw, Stewart Mandel

 

[stlnd01]

I agree with him, too.

Btw, Stewart Mandel

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