I knew the moment the first media reports came out that University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam had publicly come out of the closet as being gay during an interview with ESPN in February that it would be all part of a carefully-staged event to force the NFL to draft him this year regardless of his qualifications. Not surprisingly, the media immediately turned his draft prospects into a cause célèbre in which the popular meme became that the only reason Sam could not possibly be drafted was because the NFL discriminates against gays. Analysts agreed that Sam amidst all of the media frenzy over his prospects during the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in February put on a very disappointing performance. Despite being far from anywhere near the top of college football players in the country, his draft prospects received more media attention than any of the more deserved first and second round picks.
When Sam was finally picked up in the 7th round by the St. Louis Rams, there was a bevy of cameras and reporters on hand to record the moment. After crying fake tears of joy and kissing his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, for the cameras, he soon began complaining about not being picked higher in the draft, even after President Barack Obama took time out to personally congratulate the 259th overall pick. "From the last season alone, I should've been in the first three rounds," the ungrateful Sam complained, insulting the team that had just drafted him even before signing a contract with them. "I should have gone in the top three rounds easily." Did Tom Brady complain when he was drafted in the sixth round by the Patriots? The Colts' kicker Adam Vinatieri went undrafted and later signed as a free agent with the Patriots. Did he complain? Please. This guy better spend more time focusing on proving he's worthy of the NFL and less time playing the role of an entitlement hire simply because he's gay.
Sam and his boyfriend flew off to Las Vegas where they partied with friends in an expensive nightclub until 3 in the morning. It's quite interesting that someone who supposedly comes from such a poor Texas family has so much money to spend on expensive clothes, travel and the finer things in life before he's received his first paycheck as an NFL player. Someone needs to give this guy a tough lesson in humility real soon.
2 comments:
What kind of entitlement mentality does Michael Sam have? Victim? gender bias? delusions of grandeur? The "I'm gay so everyone hates me?"
Sorry, but I am tired of the press trying to make a story about this. Sam is a talented football player who is on the edge of having enough skills for the NFL. Scouts and teams focus on the ability to play, ability to work with teammates, nothing more.
He's a defensive end. Not a tight end, unless that was some crude joke. And he was the SEC co-defensive player of the year, not some second tier scrub. And it is not at all uncommon for newly drafted players to have a chip on their shoulders about sliding low in the draft. Johnny Manziel said similar things IN THIS DRAFT. Aaron Rodgers has an MVP award and a Super Bowl ring and still has a chip on his shoulder about falling in the draft. Nothing surprising here at all.
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