NFL prospect Michael Sam comes out as gay; could he be an option for Pats?
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| Chris Lee/ St. Louis Post-Dispatch |
While this is big news to football fans everywhere, it isn't a surprise to Sam's teammates and coaches from Missouri. The defensive end came out to them during a team building exercise at an August practice. While it was difficult for some to grasp the fact that Sam, a popular senior and team leader, was gay, the team quickly overcame whatever differences they had to support their teammate.
To say the program benefited from their acceptance would be an understatement. Missouri made a surprising run to the SEC title game, finishing 11-2 with a Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma State, and Sam's breakout season was a big reason why. Sam racked up 48 tackles (19 for a loss), 11.5 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2013. This earned Sam a laundry list of accolades, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American selection.
Despite all this, there are already reports that Sam's announcement will likely hurt his draft stock. How far Sam actually falls down the board will be hard to tell, as draft analysts had him pegged anywhere from the third to seventh round prior to his coming out. Concerns about his size (at 6'2" and 255 lbs, Sam is undersized for a defensive end) and whether he could transition to linebacker already had scouts undecided about his future. Now he also has the black mark of being a potential "distraction" on his name.
I hope for the NFL's sake that Sam's draft position isn't hurt by his sexuality. I hope that GM's recognize the strength of Sam's character and the courage he displayed by revealing this while his NFL future is on the line. I hope they look around and realize that an NFL locker room survived Riley Cooper's hateful use of a racial slur, something that should be far more divisive than the presence of a gay teammate. I hope they realize that it's 2014 and things like this shouldn't even be an issue.
However, if any perceived "riskiness" leads Sam to fall down the board on draft day, I hope the Patriots are the franchise to capitalize on the stupidity of their peers. Like the Celtics, who under Red Auerbach were the first NBA team to fully embrace integration, the Patriots would have the chance to be progressive trailblazers in their sport. However, also like the Celtics before them, this move would be largely motivated by the opportunity to get a competitive leg up on the competition.
The fact of the matter is that Michael Sam just spent the past year dominating the highest level of college football. He's proven through his play on the field that he has the ability to help a team at the next level. If he can play, why wouldn't you want him on your team?
Professional sports are often considered to be the ultimate meritocracy. The level of competition is so high that anyone with talent willing to work hard and contribute to the team is supposedly welcome. It's a culture that brings together characters from all different backgrounds, united in the bottom-line goal of success.
The Patriots have embodied that meritocratic philosophy throughout Bill Belichick's tenure. A player's draft status, past history and name recognition mean very little in New England; Bill Belichick is going to put the best players on the field. It's that same line of thinking that lead Bilichick to choose a relatively unknown backup quarterback named Tom Brady over established NFL superstar Drew Bledsoe 12 years ago.
I sincerely believe that the Patriots culture of accountability can handle an openly gay teammate. I believe that locker room leaders like Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo, Devin McCourty and Tom Brady would not let something like a teammates sexuality become an issue that gets in the way of the team's success on the field. I believe that with leaders like that setting the tone, the rest of the locker room will have no choice but to follow their examples.
I also believe that the Patriots are absolutely capable of handling whatever "distractions" having a gay teammate brings. In the past year alone I've seen this locker room handle the arrest of a star teammate for murder and the accompanying media spotlight of Tebowmania. After that, dealing with any "distractions" from drafting Sam should be a piece of cake.
Sure, there would be more cameras than normal at Sam's first minicamp, first training camp practice and obviously at his first professional game. However, as the season goes on, attention will quickly shift back to the team's play on the field. As it always does, everything will ultimately turn back to football.
There's no reason to pretend that this isn't going to be a culturally important moment, but it's also important to remember that the biggest reason for Sam's announcement was to bring us to a place where having an openly gay athlete is no longer newsworthy. In the end, Michael Sam will inevitably be thought of as a football player that happens to be gay, not a gay guy that happens to play football.
Furthermore, Michael Sam is a football player whose skillset could absolutely help the Patriots. The Pats could certainly use some pass rushing help, along with some depth to spell the overworked Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. Sam's tweener status could make it difficult to make him an every down player, but his speed off the edge makes him an excellent candidate for a role as a nickel pass rusher. If he can translate his SEC success to the next level, it would add another weapon to a Patriots defense that looked good before getting decimated by injury in 2013.
"I am Michael Sam, I'm a college graduate, I'm African American and I'm gay" said Sam at the conclusion of his groundbreaking interview. It's an undoubtedly powerful statement, carrying a great deal of cultural significance along with it.
He's also an excellent football player with the talent to help a team at the next level.
Hopefully, that's all that matters.
