I was watching the NFL Draft in May when history was made.
I smiled when Michael Sam, the NFL’s first openly gay draft prospect, kissed his longtime boyfriend on national television after learning he was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh-round draft pick.
The networks, the NFL and the fans — even on opposing teams — could not deny the beautiful nature of that moment when a young athlete from the University of Missouri got the opportunity to be himself and play the game he loves.
Fast forward nine months and that picture-perfect scene has drastically changed. He vacationed in Europe in January and is no longer on an NFL roster or on a practice squad.
After drafting him, the St. Louis Rams cut Sam from their roster in August. The Dallas Cowboys made a move to sign him to their practice squad a few days later only to cut him in October. No other NFL team has plucked Sam out of the free-agent pool since.
Sam has talent as a defensive end. In four preseason games with the Rams, the rookie managed to sack three opposing quarterbacks, including fellow rookie Johnny Manziel. To be selected in any round of the NFL draft is an honor, and, for Sam, his scrappy play and daunting defensive presence during his college career made him a wise investment for the Rams’ organization.
So why let him go?
An argument could be made that Sam’s personal life made bigger headlines than his professional one. “The kiss seen around the world” put Sam on the map for reasons other than football. The St. Louis Rams had a headline-making draft selection knocking at their door, and maybe they couldn’t handle the press and reporters that came with Sam.
We have not seen Sam play in a regular season game, however, so we are forced to believe the Rams and the Cowboys when those organizations said Sam was simply not good enough. It would be unfair to call these organizations biased or discriminatory when they were the only teams to take a chance on Sam when every other team played it safe.
Another argument could be made that Sam was not ready to become the voice of change. At only 25 years old, Sam has faced his fair share of adversity.
Coming out to his teammates in college was one thing, but looking for acceptance in the NFL is another matter entirely. He has shown grace in the midst of recent setbacks, and he certainly has the maturity to make it in professional football.
But does he have the drive? Can he be Michael Sam, the defensive end, on the field while also being Michael Sam, voice of change, off of it?
The NFL is not ready for Michael Sam. The NFL is still a testosterone-dominated, macho-professional sports league that does not have the capability of changing its ways for one brave soul. Not yet, anyway.
Sam has said he believes there are others like him already in the league. I agree. Hopefully, with Sam leading the charge, these athletes will feel more comfortable expressing who they really are to their teammates, coaches and fans. He has set a precedent for others to follow while standing up for himself and what he believes in.
I am confident that Sam is just the beginning. He might make his way back to the league someday, but right now, at this moment in 2015, the NFL is just not prepared to bear the burden of a trailblazer.
Michael Sam, voice of change, will have to wait a little longer to be heard.
Erica Brown is a UF journalism junior. Her column appears on Mondays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/9/2015 under the headline “What ever happened to Michael Sam?"]
