Sexual orientation has become mainstream news. Gay rights have taken center stage and have had to demand equality. The argument to withhold basic rights because of one’s sexual preference is ludacris. Thankfully (and surprisingly) the NFL is not going to be subject to this controversy. Michael Sam will be the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. It is not a question of if he will be drafted (he’s got the skills) but rather how he will be received by his teammates.
The NFL has recently been consumed in reports of unruly locker room behavior, but this should not be one. Hall of Famer Offensive Tackle Art Shell said, “It’s who you are: ‘You’re a football player, then you can play with us.’ I don’t see that as being a problem in the National Football League.” He is not the only one in his position to share this opinion. Barry Sanders, Marv Levy, and Harry Carson all echoed this thought. Sander’s was quoted as saying “I’m pretty sure every guy in this league has been around gay individuals before, and so I don’t think it will be much different.”
Everyone loves a winner and that goes double for those who are actually playing. The bare essence of what is going to happen in the locker room is everyone is going to ask, “Can he play?” Is that a yes? Then nothing else matters. This has been proven time and again with poor off field behavior of hundreds of professional NFL players. They have been forgiven because they are still capable of performing to the highest standards while on the field. Sam will be given the same treatment as everyone else on the team, no more and no less. He will run into confrontation as the first one through the wall always gets bloody. His future teammates will have his back though. If he gets cut from a team it will be for poor performance at the line of scrimmage, but not because he is gay.
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