Here are actual quotes from anonymous NFL executives to Sports Illustrated:
The NFL seems ready for an openly gay player
Following NFL Draft prospect Michael Sam’s decision to publicly come out, anonymous NFL executives seem unconvinced the NFL will welcome an openly gay player. On Twitter, the football community willing to put its name next to its opinion tells a different story.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
“I don’t think football is ready for [an openly gay player] just yet. In the coming decade or two, it’s going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it’s still a man’s-man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It’d chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room.”“I just know with this going on this is going to drop him down. There’s no question about it. It’s human nature. Do you want to be the team to quote-unquote ‘break that barrier?’“Hm. Here is how the rest of the NFL world reacted on Twitter.
(1)
Good for Michael Sam.. Hopefully this'll inspire others to be comfortable and proud of who they are
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 10, 2014 .@joshsroufe I happen to know a couple "players of the NFL".. & yeah, nobody will give a damn, as long as the guy makes plays and works hard
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 10, 2014 (2)
@MikeSamFootball #respect bro. It takes guts to do what you did. I wish u nothing but the best
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 10, 2014 (3)
Hats off to you Michael Sam, that takes some guts #respect
— Jonathan A. Martin (@J_Martin71) February 10, 2014 (4)
Had multiple convos with @MikeSamFootball this year, amazed at his honesty & courage! Once a tiger, ALWAYS a Tiger!
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) February 10, 2014 (5)
If I had to make a prediction... I think the @Mikesamfootball story will end up being a good story. Players care about how u play & act. -SG
— steve gleason (@TeamGleason) February 10, 2014 (6)
I could care less about a man's sexual preference! i care about winning games and being respectful in the locker room!
— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) February 10, 2014 (7)
Much respect to Michael Sam for being true to himself and not afraid who knows it!! #Salute
— Stanford Routt (@SRoutt26) February 10, 2014 (8)
I'm so tired of hearing about who gay and who not. I could care less.
— FABIAN WASHINGTON (@FABEWASH31) February 10, 2014 (9)
Best of luck in the draft @MikeSamFootball. #respect #YouCanPlay @YouCanPlayTeam
— Zak DeOssie (@zdeossie) February 10, 2014 (10)
I don't know Michael Sam but I think he wants to be known as a gr8 FB player, that happens to be gay.Big ups M.Sam, make us proud.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) February 10, 2014 (11)
There is no room for bigotry in American sports. It takes courage to change the culture.
— Malcolm Smith (@MalcSmitty) February 10, 2014 (12)
Good for Michael Sam. Takes courage for where he is in his career and where we are as a league. I applaud him.
— Tom Crabtree (@itsCrab) February 10, 2014 (13)
Our statement on Michael Sam: We admire Michael Sam's honesty and courage. Michael is a football player...more
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 10, 2014 ...Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) February 10, 2014 One day it won't be such a huge ordeal to state who you are as a person, that day will reveal true progression. Cheers to Day 1.
— Martellus Bennett (@MartysaurusRex) February 10, 2014 Donte Stallworth took about 25 tweets to explain why, as a former member of the Patriots who had seen distraction in other locker rooms, Sam’s sexuality wouldn’t be an issue for winning teams.
Herm Edwards posed a hypothetical question on epsn re: drafting Michael Sam, "can (GM/owner/coach) handle the media... with this situation?"
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 If any NFL team can't "handle the media coverage" of drafting Sam, then your team is already a loser on the field... let me tell you why...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 There are a multitude of issues that can arise in the long duration of an NFL season... some on the field, some off the field.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 You won't have any idea what that on the field/off the field situation is until it's already upon you and the entire organization...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Which means that with drafting Michael Sam, you get a jump start on controlling the "media coverage" right from the onset.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 If an organization is inept to the magnitude of not being able to control things with prior knowledge, how will you handle the unexpected?
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Case Study 1: The Miami Dolphins and the bullying scandal... players talked more about THAT than they did football... for weeks!
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 During that time I questioned (tweeted) why the Dolphins players were talking more about the scandal than their next opponent....
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Case Study 2: The New England Patriots and Aaron Hernandez AND Tim Tebow situations...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Beyond the state of shock I endured after the revelations of Hernandez, I knew that if ANY organization could handle this, it was the Pats.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 This all happened right before training camp where players are supposed to come in w/clear minds in preparation for a long, rigorous season.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Not only were there questions about Aaron, but also about the health of Gronkowski and how those two combined affected the team as a whole.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Aaron is still awaiting trial & Gronk played in only 7 games this season...but yet the Pats seemed to avoid those "distractions" altogether.
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Despite many season ending injuries to key pieces, the Pats finished 12-4 and lost to the Broncos in the AFC title with... ZERO distractions
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Not to mention the whole Tebow signing and (alleged subsequent) distraction wasn't even a blip on most radars... Why?
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 Because Mr. Kraft and Bill Belichick would not allow ANY of that to be a "distraction" to ANYONE in the entire organization...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 In my 10 years as an NFL player, I've played for 6 different teams & have been in every kind of locker room. Vet, young, mature, immature...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 The leaders of an NFL organization AND the locker room better be able to handle adversity that is certain to emerge during a long NFL season
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 In my experience, if your organization can't "handle media coverage", they will suck on the field anyway... but hey, there's always 2015...
— Donte' Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014 See More:
