all I can say is wow!

whatever team drafts him is going to have thousands of new fans because the gay community generally supports our own

It will more than likely affect where he gets drafted, but as we've learned from the Miami Dolphins this year, the locker room is no place to be gay.

You're right, it's that simple. What was I thinking?

In any event, hugely courageous to get out in front of this and make the announcement himself rather than let a reporter sit on the story and unload it right before the draft.

Good luck, Sam!! Maybe he'll fall to us

There will probably be a knucklehead on his team or on an opposing team that will disrespect him and then a player will come to his defense, just like Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson.

I remember watching Joe Namath on the Larry King show, and it must have been twenty years ago, right around when David Kopay came out, and Larry asked him if he would have a problem with a gay teammate and Joe said " not as long as he could carry the rock."

It had nothing to do with his talent and everything to do with his speaking out for gay rights. He's not gay, but not a single team in the NFL would touch him. Believe me, I've watched Kluwe for years, and he's 10x the punter we have. But he's untouchable now.

He will probably re-sign with the Heat.

He's a married guy with kids...But for the sake of conversation let's say he wasn't and said he was gay.

Do you think he would be drummed out of the league?

If this were Lawrence Taylor coming out of college, his teammates would be scarred shitless and keep their mouths shut. Or like Kluwe, they'd get released. But this guy isn't LT.

It's great that a few high profile players have said they wouldn't have a problem with a gay player, but that's not representative of the league's 1700 players.

But for a team like New England, New York, San Francisco, Seattle or a city with a similar cultural climate the pressure is going to be enormous on them to draft him if they have a legitimate need and astute fans know which teams need whom.

It would be a great move for the Dolphins to get the Incognito stench off of them...BTW, Incognito didn't harass Martin because he was gay which he wasn't. Incognito harassed him because he was smart.

Since that story broke, players everywhere have come out and stated the locker room is vile (OK, my word). Gay slurs are part of the culture.

Do people change that quick? I mean, I get the part about being a family loving your brother. But some of those guys will be worried that one of their brothers has a different kind of love for them. The NFL isn't someplace people go to evolve.

...his jersey will be a hot seller in the right market

Regardless of soundbites.

Did you know Vince Lombardi was accepting of gay players, along with black players who married outside their race (in a time that was reason enough to be kicked off your team)?

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/22190569/vince-lombardi-was-accepting-of-gay-players


snip-

Vince Lombardi didn't become one of the best coaches in NFL history by discriminating against his players. By all accounts, Lombardi didn't care if his players were black, white, gay or straight, he only cared about one thing and that's whether they could play football.

"My father was way ahead of his time," Lombardi's daughter Susan told ESPN New York. "He was discriminated against as a dark-skinned Italian-American when he was younger, when he felt he was passed up for coaching jobs he deserved. He felt the pain of discrimination and so he raised his family to accept everybody, no matter what color they were or whatever their sexual orientation was."

Former Redskins running back Dave Kopay, who came out in 1975 and was the first former NFL player to announce he was gay, found Lombardi to be accepting during their one season together in 1969,

"Vince Lombardi had so much humanity, I was just lucky to be around him," Kopay said.

-snip


I posted about this a few weeks ago, when ESPN aired a Football Life: Vince Lombardi, and it pretty much sank like a stone.

I am hopeful that there are some modern-day Vince Lombardi's out there.

Knowing what this young man can do, it will change my view of my own favorite team, along with the others, if this affects his draft-ability.

NFL's Jonathan Vilma Afraid Gay Teammate Would Look At Him In The Shower

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/05/jonathan-vilma-gay-teammate-shower_n_4732415.html

Thanks.

A lot of players will be sweating bullets on draft days, and about 75 will have to grow the eff up right quick.

tweets in response to this news:

http://deadspin.com/heres-how-the-nfl-reacted-to-michael-sam-coming-out-1519612068

If he goes in the round he is supposed to (3rd or 4th from what I have read) then we have really come a long way. If not, or if he isn't drafted at all, then we haven't.

come out the NFL closet...and be free. The NFL will survive.

In my many years of being on this planet, I've noticed that no matter how much someone is against something, (especially RWers and bigots and homophobes) it usually takes someone who is near and/or dear to change their perspective. Not always, but usually finding out a daughter, son, cousin, classmate, hero is gay changes many people.

I remember Phyllis Schlafley, a vocal anti-homosexual RWer...famous for it. Her son told her he was gay. Same with Dick Cheney...same with my sisters. Some are just more dense than others.

Young Sam has the opportunity and has taken the responsibility to school a whole lot of people. I wish him and the team that gets him, a wonderful season.

This is gonna be fun...

They can use someone of his caliber.

if he goes to Detroit, he will be faced with nothing but failure. The only worse team to go to would be Oakland.

That's been my favorite team since childhood.

thanks DSB~

There are a few knuckle draggers but the consensus is if the guy can help my team I don't care what he does in his private life and with whom.


It reminds me of a Sopranos episode when one on Tony's crew was outed and Tony was conflicted but decided to tacitly support him because he was a "good earner"

It is an unselfish act that will help others be less afraid to come out and be who they are.