By Andre Brown | Staff writer
Football in the National Football League is considered the manliest game of all games. Only the toughest men can play this game. So why can’t 6’2, 261-pound, SEC defensive player of the year Michael Sam? He has all the physical ability to be one, but he is gay, the first openly gay player ever to enter into the NFL draft.
Sam played football at the University of Missouri. He became one of the best players in the conference his senior year after admitting to the rest of his teammates he was gay. They accepted Sam and took him in as a brother. His senior year he had 11 1⁄2 sacks and 19 tackles
Last month he announced he was gay over national airways. Claiming that the issue was already going to come out, he decided to tell his own story on his own terms. He instantly got national fame, but with all the fame and a topic like this, fans are also scrutinizing him.
As long as he can play football, should his sexual orientation matter? Sam, a defensive end, is undersized to play that position in the NFL, so he has been looked as to be a linebacker by most teams. He tried playing that position dur- ing the Senior Bowl, where the best seniors in the country practice and play in front of college scouts before they begin getting ready for the draft, and he struggled at the position.
He has been looked as between a third and sixth-round pick in the draft but his stock has fallen a bit since he has come out. After poor times at the NFL combine, scouts wonder if he has the athletic ability to play. Not being very explosive and being small doesn’t match up well in a speed and size driven league. Also him being gay is a distraction. Whoever drafts Sam knows their team will be filled with media trying to learn more about Sam. Not many teams want that type of distraction during their training camps and offseason.
The thing about Sam is that he produces. He was co-defensive player of the year in the toughest conference in college football. Players who are being looked as first- round picks like Jadeveon Clowny, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, C.J Mosely, and Kony Ealy all played in the same conference as Sam, but didn’t produce like Sam did. Kony also played defensive end for Missouri University with Sam. Sam out produced Kony but because Kony is looked at as a better upside he will be drafted a lot higher.
Sam will also have problems with fitting in an NFL locker room. This will be a new experiment for an NFL roster. No team will be able to know how to manage this situation. Questions have been raised on how the locker room will be able to handle him and if he will be accepted. His last year in college he told all of his teammates that he was gay before the season began. Obviously it worked out well considering he was able to produce great stats and lead Missouri to a great record. From all accounts his teammates embraced him and created a good atmosphere for Sam. Current NFL players have only spoken positive things about the situation as well. Obviously they wouldn’t say negative comments and risk getting fined by the league. But former players like receiver Patrick Crayton said that Sam should have just stayed in the closet. Other former players have said comments like this as well.
Sam could last in this league as long as he plays well. This is a league where they aren’t trying to make friends; they just want to win ball games. Anybody that can help get them to the goal of a championship is welcomed, and as long as you can do that, you can play: gay or straight.