Buftex Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Come gather 'round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'. Written almost 60 years ago...one of the most relevant songs ever..always.
#34fan Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 If a guy confirms that he's 100% into dudes, there isn't a damn thing anyone can do to change it. IMO, Sam has earned a shot at the pros. He plays quick, but remains physical, powerful, and very coordinated. -Special talent without a doubt. However, for the early part of his career, that won't be the story. By coming out the way he did, Sam has all but volunteered to go under the microscope. NFL locker rooms will be tough for him, -with or without sensitivity training. I also expect the jokes to flow like the Mississipi once he's drafted... For my part, I will try to keep the ribbing to a minimum.
bbb Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Then you believe homosexuality is a choice, which is ridiculous and archaic in thought. Practice your religion freely but please don't take a religious perspective on human rights and science. You would only be holding society up. Up above was given the example of the new NYC mayor's wife, who said she used to be a lesbian. You can think of a bunch of mostly women who fit into this in popular culture...........So, I don't think it's 100% born this way. Some are choices.
MDH Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Good for him. But we will not have progressed at all as a culture until the reaction to stories like this is "So what?" That's the end goal but every story like this is a small step forward. It creates the discussion that is necessary to get to that end goal. Hell, 50 years after civil rights we still have stories of grown men in the stands calling college ball players racial slurs but it doesn't mean that progress hasn't been made.
Corp000085 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Now back to the good stuff... I'm not a college football junkie or draftnik. Does this guy fit with the Bills?
JM57 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Now back to the good stuff... I'm not a college football junkie or draftnik. Does this guy fit with the Bills? Probably not. He's a 3-4 rush LB. Even though he played as a hand in the ground 4-3 DE at Mizzou, he's probably a little undersized to do it in the NFL at 6'1, 255ish
GunnerBill Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Good on him and good luck to him. It's a definite sign of progress in American society. People trying to wrestle internally with living a secret life does them no good whatsoever. I suspect he will have a better career with this weight lifted from his mind than he would have had otherwise, not because being gay makes him a better football player, but bcause being totally comfortable in himself will.
BarleyNY Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Eh, well, I was working toward a double-entendre that I thought better of and abridged, so case dismissed! Whoa, whoa, whoa there! Where I come from a man does not pass up an attempt at a double entendre.
stony Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 His agent is prob already getting calls from Nike or Starbucks. Not sure where you live, but many people will want to buy something with his name on it for being the first openly gay player. Nike already makes "gay" oriented appeal. Gm's will prob ask him how he would deal with morons who use slurs toward him. I doubt Whaley, Colbert, and GMs from other classy organizations will harass him. That's why I said I hope he ends up on a professionally run team (Buffalo, pit, GB, etc). I wish him nothing but the best. I don't see him falling. if the Bills miss an opportunity to get him at a good value/ where he should be and don't I'll be upset. I can respect your opinion even if I don't agree...but Really? Starbucks? At 6am in the morning, I don't think anyone wants a hologram of a football player on their travel mug. And what is this "gay" oriented apparel Nike has launched. The bright, neon reflective stuff for runners so they don't get ran over by automobiles? You may be over thinking this.
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I can respect your opinion even if I don't agree...but Really? Starbucks? At 6am in the morning, I don't think anyone wants a hologram of a football player on their travel mug. And what is this "gay" oriented apparel Nike has launched. The bright, neon reflective stuff for runners so they don't get ran over by automobiles? You may be over thinking this. Maybe he disagrees with the lifestyle but is a brand consultant for companies that are hot with the gays? I've learned here to not second-guess someone's expertise.
nucci Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 who cares. Seems attention seeking to me. I do not approve of that lifestyle, but I don't care how he lives. Can he play football? His life choices are his own. Right, because gay men, especially athletes , really want attention.
Coach Tuesday Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I just wish Jeff Ireland was still around to interview him at the Combine. They could charge admission for that...
PO'14 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Im on the Who cares bandwagon. I first read the headline on Cbssports website and thought to myself right away...WHO Effin CARES! I didnt even open the the story. Then I come here and see there is 5 pages already. Once again..WHO CARES! I over eat. I bet ya that is a bigger problem than being gay!
Doc Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Alrighty then, how many of you would be comfortable sharing a locker room with an openly gay teammate? Would you go about your business, try not to change in front of him/her, demand that he/she change in another part of the locker room, etc.? I occasionally work with an openly gay colleague who does per diem for us and one time I was just getting into the locker room and was ready to get into my scrubs and he walked in. I could have milled about or gone to the bathroom, but instead continued to start changing just to let him know it wasn't a big deal. So even though I didn't have a problem with it, it still was on my mind. Now maybe next time I won't think twice, but that time I did.
nucci Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Alrighty then, how many of you would be comfortable sharing a locker room with an openly gay teammate? Would you go about your business, try not to change in front of him/her, demand that he/she change in another part of the locker room, etc.? I occasionally work with an openly gay colleague who does per diem for us and one time I was just getting into the locker room and was ready to get into my scrubs and he walked in. I could have milled about or gone to the bathroom, but instead continued to start changing just to let him know it wasn't a big deal. So even though I didn't have a problem with it, it still was on my mind. Now maybe next time I won't think twice, but that time I did. My wife is a flight attendant and has many gay friends. I know some of them and you wouldn't know by looking. Not every gay guy wants to have sex with every guy they see. For those that I know they are in regular relationships and are regular people. If it's not your thing then ignore it. They just want the rights and privileges that every citizen gets.
stony Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Maybe he disagrees with the lifestyle but is a brand consultant for companies that are hot with the gays? I've learned here to not second-guess someone's expertise. No, I'm just really interested to know what the gay oriented apparel at Nike is.
RuntheDamnBall Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 http://m.si.com/3861060/8-nfl-officials-reactions-to-sam-announcement/ And here is why this is somewhat of a big deal. I think publicly everyone will be welcoming, because to not do so is outs you as a bigot. But the teams will be approaching this from a risk management perspective and it will be viewed as a risk for no other reason than that Sam is the first. If teams can ignore him in the draft and stand behind the claim of evaluation on football merits, you can rest assured that some will. It's in fact the safest way for them to avoid the issue.
GunnerBill Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Alrighty then, how many of you would be comfortable sharing a locker room with an openly gay teammate? Would you go about your business, try not to change in front of him/her, demand that he/she change in another part of the locker room, etc.? I occasionally work with an openly gay colleague who does per diem for us and one time I was just getting into the locker room and was ready to get into my scrubs and he walked in. I could have milled about or gone to the bathroom, but instead continued to start changing just to let him know it wasn't a big deal. So even though I didn't have a problem with it, it still was on my mind. Now maybe next time I won't think twice, but that time I did. I have and do frequently. One of my regular gym buddies is gay. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Mike in Horseheads Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 If he can tackle and stop the run I don't care if he's from Mars!
Kirby Jackson Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Stories like this are always interesting to me. As the player comes out, so does the bigotry of others, despite their best attempts to mask it. You see things like "it's a choice" or "as long as it in his private" or "he's going to have a tough time in the locker room." Really?!? Who will give them a tough time in the locker room? Close minded people such as yourself? For those of you that actually do have a problem with it (you know who you are) you don't need to try to mask it by pretending that you don't care. The comments that you make tell the story.
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