NFL DRAFT NEWS

Reality: Sam’s coming out will affect draft stock

The Sports Xchange

February 10, 2014 at 9:10 am.

Michael Sam's ability to rush the passer is his strong suit. (Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports)

Initial reaction to Missouri’s defensive end Michael Sam’s announcement that he is gay has been overwhelmingly positive throughout the NFL, but the reality is the news will also impact the pass rusher’s stock for May’s NFL Draft.

Exactly how much is impossible to know.

The problem is that while Sam is a good prospect, he’s not a great one, and he was already sliding down many teams’ draft boards due to the dreaded ‘tweener label – he struggled to make the conversion to 3-4 outside linebacker at the Senior Bowl last month, showing limited flexibility and fluidity that could limit him to working as a 4-3 end, where his lack of ideal size will be an issue.

NFLDraftScout.com has Sam rated as the No. 110 overall prospect entering next week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where Sam’s story will be one of the main topics with many NFL head coaches and front office personal available to the media.

Sam’s teammates and coaches at Missouri learned he was gay in August, according to CBSSports.com’s Jeremy Fowler, but never spoke of Sam’s personal life because it was his personal life. On the field, Sam’s play spoke for itself. He was named Defensive Co-MVP in the Southeastern Conference as the Tigers recorded a 12-2 record, earned their first SEC East title and finished No. 4 in the nation to end the season.

If teammates knew about Sam’s homosexuality, you can bet NFL scouts did, as well. And yet the news was never leaked.

The respect shown by Sam’s teammates, coaches and the NFL to this point has been commendable. The NFL issued a statement shortly after the news broke Sunday of Sam’s courageous announcement that read: “We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.”

In conversations with high-ranking front office officials since 2001, I have been told that a player’s sexuality would have no bearing on his draft status. If the player can play, he’ll have no problem landing and sticking in the NFL.

NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth believes NFL players will easily accept Sam.

“I know that the union will accept him with open arms, as will our players,” Foxworth told ESPN radio on Monday.

Foxworth, who is stepping down as the players’ union acting president in March, acknowledged that Sam will likely encounter some “difficult patches” as he transitions to the NFL. However, Foxworth also believes that Sam will receive support from his teammates.

“The team’s gonna build up around their teammate, and it’s going to galvanize the team,” Foxworth said. “Everyone’s talking about how this could disrupt the locker room. Some NFL locker rooms need disrupting to be frank. Coaches go through a lot of different things to try to build a bond between the team, and what’s going to build a bond more than having a player that all the guys know is kind of a target for opposing fans and maybe a target for opposing players?

“That type of stuff is what makes you build up around a guy, and Missouri seemed to have a pretty good season. So I expect whatever team he goes to is not going to be adversely affected. If anything, they could be positively affected by adding a man like that.”

Several NFL players also took to Twitter to state their support.

–Jonathan Martin, an offensive tackle who walked away from the Miami Dolphins last season after he said he was bullied, tweeted, “Hats off to you Michael Sam, that takes some guts. #respect.”

–Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams wrote, “I could care less about a man’s sexual preference! i care about winning games and being respectful in the locker room!”

–Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Tom Crabtree tweeted, “Good for Michael Sam. Takes courage for where he is in his career and where we are as a league. I applaud him.”

–A fellow Mizzou alum, Kansas City Chiefs reserve quarterback Chase Daniel, wrote, “Had multiple convos with @MikeSamFootball this year, amazed at his honesty & courage!”

–Hall of Fame defensive back Deion Sanders wrote, “Michael Sam isn’t the 1st gay player in the NFL although he is the 1st 2 come out.#realtalk Let’s show him love like a family member. Truth”

–Former running back Tiki Barber tweeted, “Great courage by SEC Def POY…It’s time for the NFL to show it’s colors!”

Others were not so welcoming about Sam’s revelation.

Former Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers wide receiver Patrick Crayton posted a link to a story about Sam, then added, “Oh wow!!! There goes the NFL! … Stay in the closet and keep to urself!!!”

On his own Twitter account, Sam wrote: “I want to thank everybody for their support and encouragement,especially @espn, @nytimes and @nfl. I am proud to tell my story to the world!” He added his thanks to family and teammates.

While NFL teams may be more willing to accept a gay player in 2014, there remains a bit of a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. By announcing his personal lifestyle, Sam made it public. And with that announcement, Sam is inviting the media – and by extension the public – to follow his journey into the NFL.

Sam’s homosexuality isn’t the point. There are gay players in the NFL now and almost surely teammates, coaches and front office executives who know about them. But by coming out, Sam turned a very bright spotlight on himself.

And the reality is teams would rather the bright lights shine on their superstars on game day. Any club drafting Sam would add distractions for players, and teams normally work to avoid any distraction.

As the media glare intensifies at the Combine and in the weeks leading up to the draft, Sam will be viewed as more and more of a distraction. That fact — not Sam’s homosexuality — is what will cause him to slip into the late rounds, or perhaps even entirely out of the draft.

(Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for www.NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com. NFLDraftScout.com staff contributed to this report.)

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