Here’s an interesting thought for the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 offseason. What happens if they were to draft Missouri defensive end Michael Sam?
Everyone knows Sam by now as the prospect who openly admitted he’s gay. I personally have no problem with his decision and not many other people appear to either.
I could see the Steelers drafting Sam, but only if the timing was absolutely right. Sam is not a can’t-miss prospect, but the kid is on a mission. He’s already said he wants to be known for what he does on the field and not his life off it.
Would the Steelers draft Sam? Yes.
They would do it because they are a class organization. The Rooney Family is revered in the NFL and will remain so for decades to come.
Sam’s coming out party has caused a media frenzy. Just about every NFL player and coach is being asked how they feel about having a gay teammate. Honestly, people need to shut up about it.
So the guy is gay. Who cares? People like Ricky Williams and Davone Bess smoke weed. Who cares? The world is changing and so are people’s opinions.
You’ve even got Steelers’ safety Ryan Clark providing commentary on ESPN, where he freely admits that he has teammates who smoke weed. Why do they do it? Because it helps keep them away from things like painkillers, which can become so addicting they lead to overdoses.
I’m not here to campaign for marijuana in the NFL, though. The fact of the matter is that Clark threw his teammates under the bus with his remarks. Rather than saying that he knows of some players, he included his teammates. That isn’t the best idea.
But it’s Ryan Clark and he likes to draw attention to himself. He’s not the first guy to do so. Everyone knew Joey Porter was a notorious trash talker and the Steelers played on.
Fans have seen the antics of so many other players, what would having an openly gay player do to hurt the Steelers?
I say nothing.
If Sam is there at the right time – say the fifth or sixth round – then take him if you’re Kevin Colbert and you haven’t upgraded your defensive line.
It’s no doubt defense wins championships. The Super Bowl is an enormous testament to that. Number one offense versus number one defense and the team with the best defense rolled.
A lot of that is due to the fact that Seattle had four great defensive linemen. They gave Peyton Manning something he wasn’t used to: pressure.
Manning was under duress all game and it proved costly.
Michael Sam is on a mission to prove that he can be one of the best. This side story of being gay adds fuel to his fire and I honestly hope the kid breaks as many records as possible.
We’ll see how much being gay matters when he’s standing next to his teammates hoisting a Lombardi trophy.