Michael Sam seemed poised to make a splash this year in the NFL as the league’s first openly gay player. And although he’s certainly become a superstar thanks to his coming out story, Sam has now been dropped by two different teams in his rookie year. With Sam’s career in limbo, many sports fans have wondered if he was snubbed by the NFL because of his skills or his sexuality. In a recent interview with TMZ, Sam shared his thoughts on the matter.
When asked by TMZ photographers if it was the level of competition he faced post-college or his coming out that stalled his NFL career, Sam replied, “I think I was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year. So I don’t think it had to do with talent.”
Indeed, it’s both logically and statistically jarring that Sam isn’t signed to an NFL team by now. Despite being such a decorated player, after coming out in February, Sam’s spot in the NFL draft rankings dropped 70 spots and he ended up being the 249th pick for the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the draft. And even though he racked up a respectable three sacks and 11 tackles during his preseason with the Rams, he still failed to make their 53-man roster or 10-man practice squad. Adding insult to injury, Sam was then picked up by the Dallas Cowboys before being waived by them in October.
According to the Huffington Post, Sam is now the third out of 73 players in history to win a Defensive Player of the Year award in the one of the five major football conferences to not be on a NFL team halfway through his rookie season.
With all of that in mind, we have to wonder, did Sam stall his career or was he sidelined by homophobia?
However, Sam seemed to answer that question when he clarified his TMZ statement via Twitter. Read what he had to say after the cut. –nicholas robinson
