Chris Kluwe says coaches will be a bigger problem for Michael Sam than players

Jan 3, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Michael Sam (52) runs on the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at the 2014 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Missouri beat Oklahoma State 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Chris Kluwe spoke with 92.9 The Game in Atlanta on Monday about his thoughts regarding former Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam. According to Kluwe, Sam, who came out as gay on Sunday, will probably be more quickly accepted by fellow players than by coaches and front office personnel.

Per CBS Sports:

"By and large, the players are there to play football, They don’t care. You’ll have isolated incidents here and there, but the majority of the players couldn’t care less. The problem comes with front office administrators and coaches. They are majority older, white men who grew up in a specific time period and have a specific set of views. They don’t understand those views are outdated because they promote discrimination. Discrimination doesn’t have a spot in any sport or any society as a whole."

Kluwe also touched on the word “distraction” that’s being thrown around:

"Distraction is code for ‘We’re not sure we want a gay person on our team. We don’t know how to deal with that. But we can’t say that, so, we’ll use the word distraction.’ The NFL has a long history of distractions."

We’ll have more about Michael Sam and the responses to his landmark announcement throughout the week, so stay tuned.

[Source: CBS Sports]

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