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LGBT News Michael Sam cut from Cowboys' practice squad

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by piano71, Oct 22, 2014.

  1. piano71

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    Bad news. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys cut Michael Sam from their practice squad, leaving him out of work.

    Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/s...-release-michael-sam-from-practice-squad.html

    Apparently, other NFL teams may sign him up, but it looks like he's out of the game at least for the rest of this season, and maybe permanently.

    I'm disappointed that he didn't get a chance to make some game-changing plays and change some hearts and minds in the process. Hope he has a plan B...
     
  2. happydavid

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    Crazy. If he is good enough he should play.
     
  3. piano71

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    There's been some debate, but by most measures, Michael Sam is good enough to plan on an NFL team. It's widely perceived that he was drafted very late in the process because of institutionalized homophobia. Rumors were that the NFL league management pressured the St. Louis Rams to take him on to avoid a PR disaster. The Rams cut him, and a couple of days later he landed at the Cowboys. Now the Cowboys, too, have cut him from their roster.

    At the time St. Louis dropped Sam, there was talk that they had too much depth at his position and needed to employ different players. Similar things are being said about the Cowboys. But now we're well into the 2014-2015 NFL season. I don't know if any other team will pick him up this late into the season. It looks like his best shot is to train, train, train like mad and try to get on with another team next year.

    But I have a nagging suspicion that this may be the end of his pro football career, and he'll have to find some other way to make a living. Whereas if he'd stayed in the closet, he would have been drafted much sooner and may have been on the field by now.

    Michael Sam's misfortune this season may also dissuade other NFL players from coming out openly for several years to come.

    That is why this is such bad news. I had hoped that the momentum was building behind marriage equality in the USA, and having a gay pro athlete living openly would break down a lot of barriers, particularly those about gay men not being "manly" enough. Whereas if several other NFL players sensed the coast was clear and came out themselves, there wouldn't be just "that one gay guy" anymore, and attitudes would quickly change for the better.
     
  4. Skaros

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    I doubt it was by homophobia. He may of been good in college, but playing in the NFL is tough. Like piano said, the real problem is that people would be talking about that "one gay guy" not being on the tea anymore and changing attitudes would develop.
     
  5. Kriskluwe

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    Samms ,while courageous no doubt for his private persona made public , was never the type of quality player to merit first string N F L play time status . If you check out his college stats they're mediocre to good and the reason Dallas cut him was the same reason, basically, that the colts did .
    * just Fkn shoot me when I d k the difference between the colts and Rams and who plays for whom or where . My bad! St Louis Rams*
     
  6. Candace

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    I feel really bad for him. :frowning2: I mean, maybe he just wasn't up for the challenge. Going to play for the NFL is entirely different than just regular college.
     
  7. LostLion

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    NFL and College football are two different animals. However, he has made a lot of cash off endorsements and stuff so at least he has a financial cushion.
     
  8. Aldrick

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    If he can't get back into the NFL, it is my hope that various LGBT organizations help out. Sam could do a lot of good by talking about LGBT rights issues, since he is still famous, and as a result commands attention.
     
  9. Gallatin

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    Disappointing news, but he may have a chance with another team as the season continues and injuries (potentially) mount up. I think he is talented enough to be on an NFL roster right now, but the same could be said about many other out-of-work players.
     
  10. GeeLee

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    It's baffling to me that a defensive player of the year in college is only considered good enough for the Cowboys' practice squad at best.

    I still think Indy should have picked him up and I may be biased, but I think he would have added something to our defence which is a crapshoot at the best of times.
     
  11. OnTheHighway

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    I think some time away for just a bit might be exactly what the doctor ordered given all the initial hype. There was massive publicity, probably too much for the NFL to digest. The NFL needs to go through quite an evolution to accept an openly gay player (which I do believe they will over time); and while public perception will continue to evolve in Sam's favor, a digestion period is probably warranted.

    Its unfortunate for Sam in that he wants to play today, but I think some time is still needed.
     
  12. Gallatin

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    Yeah, but how many Heisman winners don't have what it takes to succeed in the NFL. That list is reaaaaally long. Having the talent and skills to do great in college ball doesn't necessarily translate to being great in the NFL. Not saying that that's necessarily the case here, but worth pointing out in general.

    In Sam's case, I think he did enough in preseason, coupled with his college resumé, to earn himself a spot on an NFL roster.
     
  13. OnTheHighway

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    Maybe when the NFL plants a team in the UK, which seems to be inevitable at this point (Jacksonville maybe?), he can come over here and play for them :slight_smile:
     
  14. Some Dude

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    He probably has the talent to play in the CFL if he wanted to. Even if he makes a team here, he'll likely be a third stringer
     
  15. Safekeeping

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    Some of the NFL's greatest stars were cut from their first few teams early in their career. It's just the nature of professional sports.

    But, I agree with the above posters. I follow college football and every year, I see players who were amazing in college fail to be taken by NFL teams. Why? Not only the level of play but the level of players in the NFL is completely different. One reason is size. In college, you see successful quarterbacks who are well under six feet tall. But if you put that same QB in the pros, they're a mismatch for the size of their own team, much less the opponents.