Michael Sam Distraction: Not In The NFL Because He's Gay? First Out Pro Footballer Reveals In New Video Why He Believes Teams Don't Want Him [WATCH]
The NFL's first openly gay player, Michael Sam, has revealed why thinks he was cut from the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys and is no longer on an NFL team ... and it has nothing to do with his talent.
The defensive player, who came out before this year's NFL draft — told reporters that he still believes he has a future in football, and that the reason he's not in the league may have to do with his sexuality and about the bogus "Michael Sam distraction" rather than his talent as a footballer.
When asked by TMZ why he's not currently on an NFL team, despite being drafted by the St. Louis Rams and then picked up by the Dallas Cowboys after being placed on waivers by the Rams, "I was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year, I don't think it had to do with talent."
Even though Sam was a college star, the fact that Sam is gay caused many in football to wonder how it would affect his draft stock and his eventual acceptance into the NFL, with the (New York) Daily News even saying "most NFL experts blamed his size — and not the fact that he was gay" for his draft-day drop.
As it turned out, there was little distraction surrounding Sam, with Rams coach Jeff Fisher saying to ESPN that the rookie had "absolutely not" created a distraction for the team.
But it sounds like Sam still believes he can make a comeback in the NFL, shrugging off suggestions he'd go on to something else, like acting and being in a superhero movie, saying, "I'm a football player; I play football."
As for the docu-series that had Tony Dungy saying that Sam would be a "distraction," TMZ reported "the chances of Oprah ever reviving the reality show that was in the works before the draft are slim to none."
As Sam said, "Naw, she's got other things to worry about."
It comes on the back of former NFL coach Tony Dungy saying on NBC's Sunday Night Football pre-game show that he'd welcome domestic abuser and current walking media circus Ray Rice back onto a team ... after saying earlier this year that he wouldn't want Sam on his team.
The reason he cited? Sam would be a distraction.
Outsports were quick to call out Dungy for his views.