When Michael Sam announced he was gay in a video interview with ESPN and in a story with The New York Times, he sent shockwaves around the sports world and the Twitterverse. Yet, what was so surprising about Sam coming out was the timing of it, with the NFL Scouting Combine less than two weeks away. The All-American defensive lineman from the University of Missouri is now the face of the final frontier in sports that many had been clamoring for, a gay NFL player. Will the NFL do its part though, to support the notion that a "man's game" can actually be played by any man?

While Sam coming out is sure to have a lasting impact in sports, all eyes are now on the NFL and their response to this announcement.

The league office released this statement on Sunday night: "We admire Michael Sam's honesty and courage. Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014."

That move was expected. Now comes the most interesting draft evaluation process ever. Owners, coaches and general managers will be figuring out if Sam, a player who certainly possesses NFL talent, can be the newest addition to their team. Sports Illustrated published a story on Sunday night that included quotes from NFL executives discussing Sam's draft stock. Here are some of the damaging statements:

"I just don't think football is ready for [an openly gay player] just yet. In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's-man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room."

"I just know with this going on this is going to drop him down. There's no question about it. It's human nature. Do you want to be the team to quote-unquote 'break the barrier?'"

These anonymous executives, who clearly don't have the same kind of courage that Sam has by giving their views without revealing themselves, are the homophobic representation of the NFL. It's funny that many people thought a gay athlete would be afraid to reveal his sexual orientation because of his teammates' reactions, but really it could be because of how coaches and general managers would respond to the news.

READ MORE: Why Do You Care If Michael Sam Is Gay?

Chris Kluwe's tell-all story on Deadspin about how Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer made anti-gay remarks to Kluwe, knowing that he was an advocate for same-sex marriage, doesn't dismiss that scary notion. Neither does the staff's reaction to keep Priefer and release Kluwe, after the comments were made public to the organization. 

The part that stuck with me the most about Sam's story was the support of his Missouri teammates. Some suspected that Sam was gay, and still accepted him as a friend and teammate once he came out to them last season. Some even went the extra mile, joining him on excursions to a gay pride parade or gay bars. He was respected and viewed as a leader, and his teammates and coaching staff kept his secret relatively quiet from the national spotlight. Additionally, the locker room was so "chemically imbalanced" that #5 Missouri finished 12-2 and with only one loss in the SEC.

This was with the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Michael Sam, leading the team. 

Sam has the chance to be an excellent role model for future gay football players, but he will need the NFL's help. All it takes is one progressive owner-coach-general manager combination that will take Sam based on his talent rather than not taking him because of the media circus and potential locker room fallout that may ensue. Jason Collins made a giant step after his coming out article in Sports Illustrated last year, however the fact that he was not signed afterwards mitigated the impact it could have had. The NFL needs to make up for the giant mistake that NBA executives made, by walking the walk after talking the talk with their supportive statement. 

Where Sam is drafted, and even if he's drafted, will send a strong message to closeted athletes and the country about how the NFL deals with change. It seems that the public and most players are ready to embrace a gay football player, but will the NFL be?

 

 

Reach Senior Sports Editor Max Meyer by email.

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