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| Image courtesy of http://www.hrc.org/ |
Sometimes when you're laid up sick for a few days, and the weekend is rapidly coming to a close, you don't have time to pay attention to things that might be going on in the world. I was too busy getting caught up on the cleaning I couldn't do on Saturday, trying (and failing) to have my kid finish his book report for Thursday, and generally attempting to cram two days worth of errands into a small window.
So imagine my surprise when I hopped in my car this afternoon and heard the breaking news that former Missouri Tiger football player, All-American and SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam was gay.
Unbelievable.
Not that a gay football player is unbelievable; we know they exist. But to have one be so bold, so upfront, so honest...and before he is drafted into the NFL no less.
That's what is unbelievable.
The timing is crucial, and it does matter, as Cyd Zeigler points out in this behind the scenes story for Outsports.com. The fact that Sam was not out but not necessarily hiding deep in the closet either led to internet speculation and the story about his sexual orientation was not going to hold as long as they would have liked.
So the timetable was accelerated, and here we are on February 9, facing a bit of history.
The big question is: Now what?
What does this mean for Sam's draft prospects? I mean, it wasn't really a secret, and he still garnered plenty of accolades for his play on the field. Hell, he had an outstanding year after being honest with the team and getting their support.
The outspoken Chris Kluwe has long maintained that the issues wouldn't come from the locker room, but rather from upstairs; that is much more of a management issue than a player issue.
(Of course, the mindset of those like Jonathan Vilma would exist in the locker room, too; suffice it to say, it won't be all best friends forever in every locker room.)
There's no doubt that Sam did struggle a bit at the Senior Bowl. He's a bit of a tweener and doesn't really fit the mold for either 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB. He can rush the passer, and there is usually a spot for a guy who can be unleashed to go get the dame QB. He has a high motor and has developed well over his time in Columbia.
(Think about this for a second, though: who would've expected the first active gay professional tackle football player to possibly be a defensive end/linebacker? A "tough guy" position. Forces a bit of a paradigm shift, no?)
So who knows where he really fits in? There is still the combine and pro day and individual workouts, and a couple of extra weeks because the draft is late this year. I think getting the story off the table and out of the way ends some of the whispering.
Hell, I like the idea of the whispers being ended. It doesn't allow the gutless, spineless front office folks and scouts to dance around the issue with whispers and innuendo. They might have to actually engage and talk about what this means to their teams and their organizations, and are they mature enough as a football organization to handle what it would mean to have a gay player that has gone on the record publicly and declared his orientation.
Maybe this will force some NFL self-reflection. It's one thing to talk in theory about how inclusive you are.
Now many clubs will have to look within and see if they truly are as inclusive and open minded as they THINK they are.
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