By all accounts, Sam seems like a good guy and what he did definitely took courage so I hope he's able to make it. However, I do find it ironic that the people (particularly media) pushing for him are the ones doing him the biggest disservice.
He's a marginal prospect. But because of his coming out, he will create a disportionate amount of media coverage. I suspect most coaches don't like the idea of getting asked repeated questions about fringe guys (see Tebow the last year or so). Moreover, it won't just be the coaches who get asked. Every player is going to get asked questions about him as well. Many of these guys are young and maybe not the most PR savvy. So, a team now has to worry about someone sticking their foot in their mouth constantly. And finally, since he is a fringe guy, there is a very real possibility (likelihood?) that he doesn't make it out of training camp. When he's cut, it won't simply be a 7th rounder washing out like most do. Questions will invariably arise about whether the coach/team is homophobic and didn't want a gay guy on the team. All of these questions will be in the name of purportedly helping Sam, but all they will do is make his transition that much more difficult and make it more likely that another team decides not to deal with the hassle.
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05-11-2014, 08:11 AM
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