I followed the final rounds of the NFL Draft unusually closely today, wondering when and if Michael Sam would be drafted. After Sam announced he was gay in February, many anticipated that he would become the first openly gay player in the nation’s most popular sport. Projected as high as a third-round pick before the announcement, his draft stock plummeted in the subsequent months. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year lasted until the eighth-to-last pick in a draft in which 256 players were selected. I don’t wish to minimize the significance of having an out NFL player, especially after the reaction by some anonymous team personnel after Sam’s announcement–but I don’t wish to maximize it either.
As names were called throughout the afternoon, many questioned what it would mean if 256 picks passed and the openly gay player with the serious credentials were passed over. No single team’s decision is really a sign of anything, but the general feeling was that 32 teams passing on Sam several times would be an expression of institutional homophobia within the NFL. I would have seen it as a major indictment of NFL culture. I’m not sure that Sam falling as far as he did is really much better.
And now it is time to cue the inevitable question … But what about all the straight players not getting drafted?
https://twitter.com/WorldofIsaac/status/465257412430032896
Max Bullough, to whom the tweet refers, signed as an undrafted free agent with Houston shortly after the final selection. Bullough played for Rose Bowl Champions Michigan State, but was suspended for the game for still undisclosed reasons. Bullough had been projected to go in the fourth or fifth round. It is impossible to say whether the suspension played a role in his being drafted. Similarly, it is impossible to say whether Michael Sam’s sexuality led to his tumble down the draft boards — poor workouts and an unclear position at the pro level probably mattered too. I will simply note that 23 players graded below Michael Sam by NFL.com and 38 players rated the same as Sam were picked before him, including one player in the second round. My guess is that teams filed Bullough’s unspecific issues in college and Sam’s sexuality under same category of “red flag” — a term referring to concerns about a player independent of his pure talent. In Sam’s case the red flag likely was phrased as being a “distraction” or causing a “media circus.”
If Freeman is right, Sam’s draft position is a function of some teams being homophobic and some teams exploiting those other teams’ homophobia. A team that was ready to pay good money for Sam could count on scooping him up for a fraction of the cost. He’ll make less due to the rookie salary scale if he makes the team. And there’s no guarantee he will make the Rams’ roster. Seventh rounds picks are guaranteed nothing.
And now it’s time to cue the inevitable and ugly discourse about so-called political correctness…
This is a symbolically important day. It is a victory for Michael Sam and all the people who worked with him during the past four months. It feels momentous when ESPN shows Sam plant one on his boyfriend for the cameras. I am happy for Michael Sam and hope he succeeds. All progress is important, but this was two yards on first-and-10. An openly gay man will be paid less than worse-qualified straight men to do the same job (per nfl.com). The league will make multiple times his salary on jersey sales this week alone. And the open homophobia that still is a common feature in team meeting rooms seems to exist unchallenged. The onus is on the NFL to prove that its culture can change.
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