Posted on 02/08/2017 7:26:04 PM PST by IMTOFT
lbany Former NFL player Michael Sam said he always felt like an outsider — the deaths of two older brothers, the bullying he endured by other family members and even his mother's religion, Jehovah's Witness, made him feel apart from his peers. But nothing made him feel more like an outsider than being gay in the NFL. "I had to prove myself, to show that I was one of the guys," said Sam, who spoke Tuesday night as part of Sexuality Month at the University at Albany. "I was cut from the Rams, even though I was in the top five in sacks. Then I went to the Cowboys and had to do it all over again. And then I was cut there. I always felt like an outsider looking in." Sam assured the few hundred students who came to hear him in the Campus Center that "everything happens for a reason." The difficult childhood and NFL disappointment led him to become a motivational speaker urging others to be true to themselves. "When I came out to the world on Feb. 9, 2014, I got tons of emails from people telling me how they were condemned for their sexuality," said Sam. "It made me sad and angry. I spoke to one girl who told me that because I came out, she didn't commit suicide. I was speechless." After high school in Hitchcock, Texas, Sam, a defensive end, was recruited to play for the University of Missouri. Named an All-American and Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, he expected to be drafted in the second or third round of the 2014 draft. But his prospects plummeted the day after he announced he was gay. He wasn't drafted until the seventh round for the St. Louis Rams. "When I was drafted I thought the headline would be 'NFL has first openly gay player,' but instead it was 'Sam kisses boyfriend.' Should I have kissed a girl? The media made it a distraction." He said it was also difficult that he, as a rookie, garnered constant media attention. "I'm still baffled," said Sam. "I thought it would be a story for two weeks and then it would go away." Sam remains wary of the media. He refused interviews with the local press and stopped his talk to ask the television crews to turn off their cameras. The attention and what he believes is the sports' discomfort with homosexuality ultimately destroyed his career. After being cut from the Rams and then waived by the Dallas Cowboys, he joined the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. That stint didn't last either. He said he left preseason camp for personal reasons. "I tried to earn their trust, make them believe I belonged," said Sam. "Now I speak from the heart." wliberatore@timesunion.com • 518-454-5445 • @wendyliberatore
When you post a homo thread, It’s mandatory to place FAG ALERT on the headline..
Did he ever actually play in an actual NFL game?
Reflects on his experience? Just failure.
This idiot is still trying to force himself on an NFL team by screaming “I’m gay so I deserve a slot on your team”....not working.....LOL
I hate to admit, one of my childhood Heros, Jerry Smith (Redskins receiver) was a BF - died of AIDS. Guess we all have our dark side.
“Did he ever actually play in an actual NFL game?”
Nope.
Dave Kopay actually played in the NFL in the 70’s. He never said anything about being gay until his career had been over for three years. And it wasn’t that well received back then.
This Sam guy was the biggest nothingburger on the planet, just trying to ride his sexuality for all it was worth.
Fail. Fail in the sport. Fail in his personal life. Fail in his intimate life. At what point does a fool not realize that his reason for being is wrong?
Apparently this guy will never go away, he is gay, we get it. He was a bust in football, the MSM keeps dragging his corpse out.
Does he share how many hookups he had in the showers?
who gives a crap, no pun intended.
I love how he’s “baffled about the attention” but that’s exactly what he wanted.....BTW he was CO-SEC player of the year and that was the only year he was worth a damn......he came out prior to the draft knowing that that POS Goodell would force a team to take him.....they did and he flopped! End of story!
“Did he ever actually play in an actual NFL game?”
My favorite quote is, “I was cut from the Rams, even though I was in the top five in sacks.” What he doesn’t mention was that was in the preseason, where it doesn’t matter...
Bottom line, if he was good enough, he’d be playing now...he’s just milking this for all he can...
“I was cut from the Rams, even though I was in the top ...”
I always thought he liked taking it from the bottom. Now we know he likes his fudge from the top.
“I love how he’s “baffled about the attention” but that’s exactly what he wanted..”
****
BINGO!
Sam was at best a marginal DE.
He lacked size and speed to make most teams as a bench warmer.
He had a shot, he didn’t cut it...
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