The Chris Moeller Archives

The courage of Sam

It’s been a disgrace to see NFL and team officials, almost all of them anonymous, project their own prejudices upon their employees. Since draft prospect Michael Sam’s announcement that he is gay, tweets and comments from NFL players have been 100% positive. Only front office people-- executives, coaches, and league personnel, people like former head coach Herm Edwards-- have been making those traditionally ugly statements alleging the “distraction” and "baggage" of a gay player.

There’s nothing like middle-age men telling us what their Generation Y employees think and feel. "We've got no problem with gay players on our teams, mind you. Don't even think of accusing us of bigotry-- or charging employment discrimination-- if we each pass on Sam in the draft come April. The players in the locker room, maybe..." Which is garbage. Certainly some players have a problem with gay people. We all know that the sport of football attracts a few. But the few that would have a problem seem to be wise enough to shut the hell up about it since the announcement. The Neanderthals seem to instinctively realize that they are the ones that now threaten to become a “distraction.”

The most predictive evidence of a professional team’s reaction on this matter is the evidence that Michael Sam brings with him to the table. He has already played a full season while being out to his college teammates. At the University of Missouri during his senior season, the team won twelve games and lost only two playing in the best conference in the nation. Sam was named that conference's defensive player of the year and a first-team All-American. A teammate and friend named L'Damian Washington stated his belief this week that Sam's great season was actually due in part to having lifted a "big boulder off his back" with his preseason announcement to the team. The teammates weren't distracted. They didn't keep their distance. It wasn't just brought up once and forgotten either. A teammate on the offensive line, Elvis Fisher, described the dynamics this way, "I practiced across from him for three years and it was just war. You don't set out wanting to know each other's life, but you spend so much time with each other you can't help but know them. I knew and I love the guy."

Professional players would be no different. Sam had dinner with a handful of active NFL players before his announcement. They are more than ready to accept an openly gay teammate, just as Jackie Robinson’s teammates were ready when observers in 1947 were likewise claiming that his future teammates would be troubled and, I'm sure, "distracted" by the presence of a player with black skin. Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers, of course, ended his rookie campaign playing in the World Series.

Now, NFL coaches and executives might be something entirely different. A scouting report that says Sam is physically undersized and "without a true position" on defense is starting to amplify even though there was no team in the NCAA's best conference last year that found a way to stop Sam from consistently getting to their quarterback. Will these NFL teams be up to the challenge of history-- and of their own honor-- on draft day? As they say around Sam’s alma mater, show me.

---

You've probably already made the connection that Michael Sam missed out on making the CM Blog 2014 “Cool List.” He came out as gay in plenty of time to break down barriers at the NFL draft in April, but made his announcement four days after we posted the list he surely would have occupied otherwise. Next year.

---

Incidentally, do ya think this guy would be responsible for the sale of just a few replica jerseys this year?

---

Unrelated note: Thank you Shirley Temple for everything you did for curly hair.

posted by CM @ 6:41 PM