Michael Sam: A Legit NFL Prospect

Imagine that you’re Clint Chelf, quarterback for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. You’re driving your offense down the field with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter of the Cotton Bowl. The game is yours to win with a touchdown. With high hopes, you drop back against the no. 9 ranked Missouri Tigers defense. You see an opponent blaze around the right side of the offensive line, and you’re on the ground quicker than you can react.

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That opponent was an All-American defensive end Michael Sam. He strip sacked you, leading to a fumble return for a touchdown, and the proverbial dagger in the hopes of your team’s victory.

Michael Sam went from a seemingly no name player to a big time NFL prospect in his senior season. Michael was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year in his teams first season in the conference. He became the first Tiger in over 50 years to be named a unanimous All American, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He is known as a relentless pass rusher, and Skip Bayless has compared him to Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts. Sam tied Aldon Smith’s Mizzou single-season sack record with 11.5.

None of these accolades compare to what he accomplished on Sunday, though.

Sam came out about his homosexuality. This is a milestone for the gay community, as well as the National Football League, because no openly gay player has ever played in the league.  Players have come out after their careers are over, but never as active players.

Sam breaks down barriers that gay men aren’t macho enough to play a contact sport like football. Standing at 6’2, 255 lbs, a hybrid between the typical NFL linebacker and defensive end, the prospect is bigger than your “average bear.”

How will teammates react to an openly gay player entering the locker room? Luckily, we have a sample case of this reaction already. Sam’s college teammates and coaches already knew he was gay.

In a preseason team building exercise that took place before last season, Sam came out with his sexual orientation to the Mizzou program. The team voted him their Most Valuable Player after they had learned of his sexuality.

“I looked in their eyes, and they just started shaking their heads — like, finally, he came out,” Sam said in an interview with The New York Times.

Sam was surprised that so many of his teammates already had a hunch, but I’m not. After playing football for over a decade and being a member of many teams, I can understand how many of his teammates knew him enough to put 2 and 2 together. When you’re on a team for the season and offseason training, the amount of time you spend with people forms connections. In a tight knit group of people like a collegiate football team, there should be no problem accepting a gay man.

The team must’ve kept his secret, because his public announcement was news to most of the country. This speaks on how much his teammates cared about respecting this man’s wishes. If that doesn’t sound like acceptance, I don’t know what does.

I asked for a University of Dayton football player’s thoughts on the plausibility of having a gay teammate.

“For me personally, I would have no problem with it. We treat everyone the same regardless of race or sexuality. I would welcome him with open arms and try to win football games,” said Chris Hagan, a sophomore strong safety.

I think what Chris was trying to point out was that at the end of the day, the thing that brings players together, especially in the NFL, is the pursuit and work it takes to win games.

To NFL players and front office folks who aren’t too fond of homosexuality in general or the potential distractions of Sam’s arrival, I can tell you that it doesn’t matter. Regardless of how you feel about gay people, wouldn’t you still want the best 11 guys on the field? Sam was voted the best defensive player in arguably the best college football conference, that accomplishment speaks for itself. The man contributes, end of story.

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NFL teammates aren’t always friends, and the beauty of it is that they don’t have to be. Michael Sam wants to win games just as bad as Peyton Manning or Vince Lombardi wanted to win games.

Jon Stewart had a great segment about Michael Sam and his journey to the NFL on his Comedy Central program, The Daily Show. In it, he makes some astute observations on the kind of people already present in the NFL to the critics of having an openly gay man in the league.

Michael Sam has built a solid list of achievements, and if nothing else, the announcement of his sexuality should hint that his character is courageous enough to help an NFL team win.