manufan10
03-24-2016, 09:49 AM
Almost two years ago, the St. Louis Rams selected defensive end Michael Sam in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
At the time, the Rams were hailed for being progressive by drafting the first openly gay player in the National Football League. It turns out, according to multiple sources, that the league agreed not to ask the Rams to appear that year on HBO's yearly summer series, "Hard Knocks," if they drafted Sam.
Shortly after his college career at Missouri ended, Sam came put publicly, acknowledging he is gay. The Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, Sam was considered a fifth-round pick at best. However, as the draft proceeded on the final day, it appeared he might not be drafted at all.
It is believed the NFL didn't want to face questions about that eventuality, and the Rams were viewed as the ideal spot because of St. Louis' proximity to the Missouri campus in Columbia, 90 miles away, and head coach Jeff Fisher's ability to deal with whatever distractions there might be.
So it was that the Rams saved the day, selecting Sam with the 249th pick of a 256-player draft.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-made-deal-with-rams-over-selecting-sam/ar-BBqQMlD?ocid=sf
At the time, the Rams were hailed for being progressive by drafting the first openly gay player in the National Football League. It turns out, according to multiple sources, that the league agreed not to ask the Rams to appear that year on HBO's yearly summer series, "Hard Knocks," if they drafted Sam.
Shortly after his college career at Missouri ended, Sam came put publicly, acknowledging he is gay. The Southeastern Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, Sam was considered a fifth-round pick at best. However, as the draft proceeded on the final day, it appeared he might not be drafted at all.
It is believed the NFL didn't want to face questions about that eventuality, and the Rams were viewed as the ideal spot because of St. Louis' proximity to the Missouri campus in Columbia, 90 miles away, and head coach Jeff Fisher's ability to deal with whatever distractions there might be.
So it was that the Rams saved the day, selecting Sam with the 249th pick of a 256-player draft.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-made-deal-with-rams-over-selecting-sam/ar-BBqQMlD?ocid=sf