NFL lobbies NFL Teams to consider Michael Sam as practice squad player.

The only reason he was even drafted was because he was gay. The only reason anyone knows his name is because he's gay. The only reason he is now on the Cowboy's practice squad is because he's gay. A pattern is developing.

He has achieved every goal that he set out to achieve with his "announcement". Create such a PR stir that the NFL has to draft you and now they have to find a roster for you, just to avoid the bad PR.

Watch out, he'll be the first ever practice squad player to make it into the HoF... his plaque will read "He was gay."

Amen Earle (and BB)....

Bamabuzzard said:

I wish people would quit trying to politicize every little thing that people do on a daily basis. Everything someone says or does now days is viewed through a political lens. I see it all the way down to everyday menial things.

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yeah, but if you're not for "gay rights," you're a bigot and by Gawd we're gonna make sure you pay for it!!! (Keep in mind what constitutes gay rights changes from day to day).

I don't give a rip about Sam one way or the other. I don't care if he nails farm animals to be blunt about it (just so long as the farm animal is in agreement). But he insisted on telling me about it. And the media simply picked it up from there - "if he doesn't make the team it's because they knew he was gay."

Seems to me what we have here is that the ONLY reason he's even there now is because of something that has nothing at all to do with football.

As far as the whole political thing, well, you can go back to when the NFL decided to move the Super Bowl out of Phoenix because of a state issue on the MLK holiday.

ValuJet said:

Maybe he will get picked up by the *******.

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FIFY

Well, the "next best thing" happened, and Sam has been signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Candian Football League.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12931850/michael-sam-signs-two-year-deal-montreal-alouettes-cfl




Now, he might actually be good enough to cut it in Canada in that league. Yet again - we're at the point where it's ONLY news because some folks have an invested interest (emotional if nothing else) in his success. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt he's the first known gay CFL player - they tend to look at things differently than we do.

Displaced Bama Fan said:

I think the 49ers are the most fitting team.

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He'd be a natural for the Buc's in their old uni's.

:tongue:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-sam-still-nfl-he-827287


I don't think one needs my memory to recall Michael Sam saying:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12567532/michael-sam-says-there-more-gay-players-nfl

"I'm just saying there is a lot of us. I respect the players that did reach out to me and had the courage to tell me that they were also gay, but they do not have the same courage as I do to come out before I even played a down in the NFL."


Let me translate for you:

"I'm only not in the NFL because I'm gay but there are OTHER gay players in the NFL - and I know some of them because they told me."

It seems to me that this pretty much overthrows Sam's original point.

Let's be blunt about this - and I was saying this at the time - Michael Sam was a mediocre football player at just the right time to exploit this. Come out BEFORE the draft and dare the league to not draft you. Then - when they do under duress - you have a built-in excuse if you don't make it. (Folks here tried to argue Sam's stats but if you actually LOOK at his stats, most of the big numbers were compiled in games against nobodies - fully half of his sacks were against Arky State and Vandy; in their two biggest games his senior year, he had a COMBINED 3 tackles and 0 sacks - uh, that's not Reggie White material).


Furthermore, if you think teams don't know who is gay (or at least have a pretty good idea) then you're insanely naive. I served in the military right as the whole policy was moving from 'outright ban' to 'DADT' under Clinton. Even back then we KNEW - and I mean WE ALL KNEW - that there were some gay people serving the country in the military. My old man knew it back in the 1960, so it's not some big secret that teams have gay players on them. I can certainly understand why some of them might not wish to come out now but guess what? If somebody did nowadays - I mean, a really great player (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers) - they'd still be playing in the NFL just so long as they could contribute to winning.

This is distasteful - we have a guy only given a chance because of what he made an issue and now he insists that if it wasn't for the issue he made of it then he'd still be playing. Go look at his stats - he was terrible. (And don't give me the manufactured stats of how he did in the final two pre-season games against guys getting cut, either - that's NOT NFL stats by any real measure).

Let's take the flip side of Sam - Tim Tebow (since no doubt this will come up). I was flabbergasted when Tebow got drafted as high as he did. I could see a good team taking a reasonable risk with a low draft pick on him maybe as a flanker or backup QB but I was stunned when Denver traded up to take Tebow in the first round. I thought it was a disaster to do so. And even Tebow's stats are somewhat misleading. Remember the infamous playoff game he won? The guy only completed nine passes in regulation - out of twenty. He then wins the game on an 80-yard TD that owed more to the receiver breaking the corner than anything Tebow did. John Elway realized this and sent him packing.

I don't think I'm being anti-Christian by pointing out Tebow was just not an NFL level quarterback. (Sure, he was better than Kyle Orton, but who isn't?). I'm not being anti-Crimson Tide by pointing out Greg McElroy wasn't, either. And I'm not being anti-gay or homophobic in pointing out Sam never was and never will be an NFL level talent, either, and it has nothing to do with his off-the-field activities. Tebow did at least compile the kind of record that suggested perhaps he deserved an opportunity as a backup - but he's failed at that three different times now, so nobody can say he didn't get a fair shake. Sam got an additional opportunity with Dallas and again wasn't good enough. And the CFL and he left.

At some point in his life, Sam simply needs to take it in stride, admit he gave it his best shot and wasn't good enough (nothing wrong with that, it happens; my BIL wanted to be a fighter pilot like everyone else in his family but 'settled' for cargo pilot and is now a LTCOL) - and it had nothing to do with his personal life at all. His own musings contradict that.

And btw - to echo Earle's earlier comments - this is NOT a 'right/left' issue - I'd argue it's a 'right/wrong' issue. And I think in this case Mr Sam is wrong with his comments.

I have no problem with him being on any team if he is one of the best 53 players on a team. I have a big problem if he is on the team because he is gay and not one of the best players.