Former Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam is going to be on someone’s team in May. He’s just too good of a prospect not to be. Simply put, if you’re a co-anything of a football team in the SEC, you’re likely to attract the eyeballs of the NFL.
Sam, of course, stunned the football landscape last week by announcing that he is gay. Naturally, this is a bigger story than Sam’s forty time at the combine in Indianapolis and, unfortunately, it has also brought out the best and worst of us in where we are in terms of the buzzwordy “locker room culture” that spans across the North American sports landscape.
Could the Giants Face a Rift When it Comes to Michael Sam?
Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch were among the first to voice their support for Sam’s journey.
“Our sport, our game, is the ultimate meritocracy,” Mara said. “You earn your way with your ability. As Patrick Burke and Wade Davis constantly remind all of us, regardless of who you are, what your background is and what your personal or sexual orientation is, if you can play, you can play. Michael’s announcement will not affect his position on our draft board.”
“Michael Sam is a gifted athlete and a courageous man,” Tisch said. ”I hope any NFL team would not hesitate to draft Michael if he is right for their team.”
For the Giants, a player like Sam makes a good deal of sense. It is effectively a team edict to try to hoard as many pass-rushers as they can in the cupboard. In their two most recent championship victories, it was the pressure created by the front four that made Tom Brady’s life (and wife) miserable and was arguably the main reason why the Giants were able to win two titles in a decade. And with Justin Tuck potentially out of the door and Mathias Kiwanuka possibly being a cap casualty (not to mention they’re both getting older), it’s time to restock that cupboard. Sam fits the pass-rushing criteria of the Giants to the letter.
Let’s not discount the amount of eyeballs the Giants could grab. They’re already a marquee franchise in the largest city and TV market in the US. It would be the next best thing to going on Hard Knocks, which the Giants have been fundamentally resistant to doing up until this point. (Or, unless they are forced to do the show.)
Terrell Thomas, one of the Giants team leaders, however, has his concerns.
“I think society is ready for it and America’s ready for it, but I don’t think the NFL is. As a player, all you want to know is if he can play. That’s on the field. But in the locker room, it’s different,” said Thomas.
As you may recall, the Giants found themselves the topic of locker room jocularity after the infamous cold tub video that went viral and showed Jason Pierre-Paul tossing Prince Amukamara seemingly against his will. The hazing seemingly knows no limits behind those closed doors, and it can be a place that can ruin a person psychologically. Just ask the Dolphins about that.
Thomas may not be sure that the league is ready, but the fact is that Michael Sam has probably dealt with everything and has probably heard it all already. And if his Missouri teammates, kids who appear to have their heads on straighter than those who they aspire to replace have accepted him for what he is, why shouldn’t the NFL? His concerns over his father’s acceptance is for sure a larger weight for him than the caveman-like fears of players like Jonathan Vilma.
One thing is certain. Sam would have an ally in Victor Cruz. Check this out.
The Giants will be one of the many teams with the potential to select Michael Sam, and it’s time to make sure everyone’s on the same page in 2014. Times change and it’s time to allow him to do what he loves without fear of repercussion from his new band of brothers.
Kill the quarterback.
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