Everywhere you turn, most people are saying the politically correct thing, ready to accept and welcome Michael Sam after he told ESPN and the New York Times that he is gay.
Sam told his teammates at Missouri last August and any thought that a locker room could be divided by such a move was unfounded. But that was college, let’s see what happens in the NFL.
Sam is projected as a middle round draft pick in the NFL Draft and would become the first openly gay player in NFL history.
NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth thinks that NFL players will accept Michael Sam openly.
Sam led the SEC with 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss last season, helping Missouri reach the SEC championship game. He’s projected as a mid-round draft choice. The fact that he’s announced he’s openly gay, we’ll see hat happens.
Several NFL players are showing support for Sam. Hopefully society has come far enough that Sam won’t experience any problems. But that might be wishful thinking.
Will Sam’s stock in the draft fall? There’s a small percentage of players that admit that they’ll have difficulty with Sam in the locker room. But the majority of the players say this isn’t an issue and they’ll play alongside Michael Sam just like they would any other player.
We’ll see just how far we’ve come as a society. This is a perfect test.
I talked with Bill Polock of the MissouriNet about this topic in a Google Hangout.