Michael Sam: Will His Sexuality or His Ability Count More on NFL Draft Day?
As most everyone who follows sports knows, University of Missouri college football player Michael Sam recently announced that he is gay, thus becoming the first openly gay man to attempt to launch an NFL career. The NFL draft will take place on May 8-10, and the draft might provide an indication as to the NFL’s current collective mindset regarding the sexual preferences of its players. On the other hand, it’s possible that Michael Sam will be evaluated as would any other player, straight or gay, and that would be my hope.
Much has been made of Sam’s status as the 2013 recipient of the SEC Defensive Player of the Year Award. It is true that most past winners of the SEC award have gone on to stellar NFL careers. Close to home, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers certainly would qualify as a success story among these award winners, but there are no guarantees. Also close to home, Rolando McClain, formerly of the Oakland Raiders, is perhaps the biggest bust of all the SEC award winners.
Respected NFL writer Peter King talked to several NFL executives and scouts in compiling this instructive story about Michael Sam’s NFL prospects. It would appear that Sam is certainly not considered a lock for NFL success, and one must wonder if his acknowledged sexuality will be enough to push him from the “maybe” list to the “not worth it” list of prospects. Will NFL decision-makers search for reasons to justify not selecting Sam?
This possible scenario certainly does not sit well with those of us who remember when Lawrence Phillips, despite a disturbing history of violence against women, was given several chances to play in the NFL. In that regard, the point has been made that perhaps Michael Sam would have a better chance of breaking into the NFL if he had admitted to beating up women rather than admitting to loving men.
A key challenge to Sam in his effort to realize his dream of becoming an NFL player is the NFL Scouting Combine, set to begin later this week in Indianapolis. As a testament to the overwhelming popularity of the NFL, the entire combine will be televised on the NFL Network. Strong ratings are expected, as Sam’s story is not the only compelling story of the draft. For example, Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney are two other highly regarded prospects with controversial histories.
Many of the so-called experts on the NFL draft have opined that Sam is the classic “tweener,” a player whose size or speed is not quite what the NFL teams typically look for in players at certain positions. Given his “tweener” status, Sam’s decision to publicly disclose his sexuality prior to the draft was, in my view, a particularly courageous one. He is not a lock to be drafted high, if at all, and a strong performance at the upcoming combine will be crucial for him.
The NFL combine is nerve wracking for all prospects, no matter how highly regarded they are. Top prospects often are advised not to participate in some or all of the drills in order to avoid the risk of having flaws exposed under the tight scrutiny of numerous NFL scouts. For example, as this is written, it is reported that Johnny Manziel will not be throwing passes at the combine. Michael Sam does not have the luxury that Manziel, a projected high pick, has to pick and choose his spots to perform. Sam must participate in all the drills, and perform well. This has nothing to do with his sexuality, and everything to do with avoiding the dreaded “tweener” characterization that can kill a career before it starts.
So the first step in Sam’s NFL journey starts in a few days, and my sense is that he’ll have a lot of people pulling for him. The big question, of course, is how Michael Sam will fit in the vast enterprise that is the NFL. At the end of the day, this is a huge business, and Sam must demonstrate that he can contribute to that business. He’s clearly a bright, positive and motivated young man. In my view, the majority position taken by NFL general managers probably will be this: We get that he’s gay. Now, can he play?
What do you think? Do you think Michael Sam’s sexuality will actually be a bigger detriment to his chances than I do? Let me know at mgilleran@gmail.com. Thanks.