Michael Sam will need to be as skillful as he is covering offensive players on the football field if he hopes to make it to an NFL team as the first openly gay player.
When Sam came out as gay over the weekend – the first Division I college player to do so – he drew high praise from LGBT groups as social media sites lit up with the news. But several pro football general managers – quoted anonymously, of course – painted a bleaker picture of Sam's chances of being selected in the upcoming NFL draft.
These general managers' doom and gloom are hogwash – we're in 2014 after all, not the 1940s when Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier. Yet their nude shower fears ("A gay guy will look at me!") and worries of Sam creating a "distraction" clearly signal that there is still a gay barrier in professional sports.
Sam, who graduated from the University of Missouri in December, is a top defensive lineman. He came out to his unfazed teammates last August, just as the college football season was beginning. Sam's honesty about who he is certainly did not hurt Missouri's record. On the contrary, the school, now in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, went from 5-7 in 2012 to 12-2 in 2013. The Tigers won the Cotton Bowl this year in stunning fashion, with a gay player an important part of the team's defense. Sam was the co-SEC defensive player of the year. So we can forget the handwringing about whether being gay means that a male athlete cannot perform at the top levels of professional or collegiate sports. And make no mistake, the SEC is almost like being in the pros.
Speculation is rampant within sports media about what Sam's disclosure will do to his draft stock. Before the announcement, which Sam made on his terms because it was evident that rumors were circulating, he was projected for selection in the third round. Now, some football observers say Sam's stock is plummeting because no team wants to deal with an out gay player. Others say it might be no big deal. There were also disturbing reports that Sam was asked inappropriate questions about whether he had a girlfriend, the same tactic that was used last year, according to some college players who were questioned by scouts at the NFL combine.
That's unacceptable.
The Green Bay Packers is one team that has addressed the topic publicly. On Monday, according to PackersNews.com, head coach Mike McCarthy said that a person's sexual orientation is not part of the organization's draft process. Refreshingly, the team cultivates prospects who fit into its vision of a program and locker room. McCarthy said that general manager Ted Thompson is making preparations for this year's draft, to be held in May, and said that the Packers would welcome anyone who can help the team improve on an 8-7-1 record and wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.
"I think you definitely have to feel he's a courageous young man but my understanding is he's a talented young player," McCarthy said, according to the website. "We always from Day 1 talked about our program, about our culture. Ted is going through the draft process right now and at the end of the day it comes down to good football players."
The NFL has a sexual orientation anti-discrimination and harassment policy that Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to all 32 teams last April. He might want to email it again, as some teams apparently didn't get the message.
On Sunday night as news of Sam's announcement was unfolding, the NFL released a brief statement praising the young man for his "honesty and courage."
"Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014," the league's statement read.
Last year the suspense and anticipation in the NFL draft was focused on Norte Dame player Manti Te'o, whose story about having a fake girlfriend made headlines. He ended up being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round. Surely an equally talented player like Sam, who was up-front with the people in his life last year and who this week came out to the world, will be selected by a team. If he isn't, there's no doubt that homophobia is the culprit.