Part of me wants to think this is a non story..and the other part makes me think this is just a little taste into the most corrupt league in the world. Mostly because there is no way the Rams were the only team the NFL offered this deal to. Maybe not a no Hard Knocks deal , but definitely something along those lines. They knew there would be a "gay bias" outrage if Sam wasnt drafted , so they probably scrambled from the 6th round on for a team that would essentially waste a pick on him. I think most fans knew his drafting was a publicity stunt..but not to this extent.
At the time I pretty much assumed when he got through the first few rounds that there'd be some under-the-table wink and nod agreement to make sure the NFL didn't get embarassed with him going undrafted so this wouldn't surprise me at all. Then again I assumed when Jason Collins came out that the NBA would ensure he got signed by 'someone' as a FA and nobody signed him till the winter when ex-teammate Jason Kidd finally brought him on board.
And with the Collins situation he was a borderline NBA player at that point. IMO the only reason he got the job was because he came out as gay , and Kidd probably played a role as well. What will be interesting is when a 1st round prospect , in any sport , comes out before the draft.
All sports leagues are corrupt and the US leagues are probably My Little Pony compared to some of the international soccer leagues. But if you want to know the most corrupt league in the US, look no further than NCAA football.
Called this on draft day, figured Goodell was scrambling on the phone offering to look the other way on a players DUI or something in order to avoid the bad publicity.
Calling this bs. If it weren't the Rams I wouldn't be surprised but the Rams were the hometown team. Same state he went to college in.
Don't follow it enough to really make an opinion on it. Heard shady things about FIFA but things overseas have been running that way for decades and only recently became news because everything needs to be so by the books these days. To me the NFL is more corrupt because they want people to think that they aren't. I doubt FIFA cares what the public thinks about them.
What was really bad is that the Co-defensive player of the year in the best Conference in College Football and an All-American first team selection was ostracized because of his sexual orientation. Don't get me wrong, Goodell is a fuck. On this one however he did the right thing. Can you imagine the negative publicity and the lawsuit that would have been the result of him not being drafted? He didn't beat up his significant other, steal crab legs or get paid like they do at USC. He should have been drafted somewhere in the 4th to 6th round based on measurable and in the 3rd round based on tape. But no, the NFL allegedly had to make someone pick him. I thought SF was the logical choice , but discriminate and disguise it as scouting was the play of the day in that draft. Right now we live in PC hell and unlike the focus on head injuries and pussifying the game, the NFL did the right thing. That's allegedly did the right thing.
There are domestic abusers, child abusers, murderers and other assorted miscreants playing or having had played in the NFL. The number one consideration above all else is "can they play", Michael Sam did not have what it took to play in the NFL. Hell, he couldn't cut it in the CFL. Made it through one game, no tackles and then quit. As far as your claim about a lawsuit. There is no way he would even have a chance at winning a lawsuit unless there was some leaked document telling all teams not to draft him. La'el Collins, a probable 1st round pick went undrafted for no reason other than teams were scared, you think a 7th round pick could have sued if he went undrafted?
Yeah because whether you're for or against it, they knew there would be absolutely positive feedback on that move with the 5 million men watching the draft around the country with a 157 wives walking in the room periodically. I have nothing against gay people, but did they think every watching would be cheering that on?
He was the exact opposite of "ostracized" - he was given preferential treatment to try and sneak him onto an NFL roster when, apparently, none of the NFL teams thought he was talented enough to belong on one. Hell, the league bribed one of the teams to draft him (to their competitive disadvantage) just so he'd be on a roster. This should be a monster-sized scandal, but none of the media will touch it with a 10 foot pole because it would be un-PC to do so.
The in your face nature of certain people is what bothers me about those that are "opressed." It doesn't sound like anyone had given Sam much of a hard time leading up to the NFL Draft. This isn't 1971 where the public outcry for a gay athlete would've been to call the guy a f*ggot openly in the media. This was 2014 where gay people are mostly openly accepted into society. The biggest problem I had with the whole thing was how scripted and plotted it looked, like he did it in everyone's face to try to stir up a reaction. Like the entire pro football fan community was going to gush about how brave he was. Please. It's the same thing as how I cringe about Spike Lee crying about the Oscars being racist, or feminists crying about basically everything.
Sounds like a lot of connecting dots that aren't really there. Blowing a super late round pick on a DPOY in the best college conference isn't a stretch. Add in some good PR for being progressive. High potential, low risk.
