NFL owners supporting Michael Sam
By Mike Dyce
There has been a lot of people questioning whether an openly gay NFL player would affect the locker room. Now with Missouri defensive end Michael Sam coming out, NFL teams are having to face that decision now. Some NFL owners are coming out n
“I would just echo what the league and Zak DeOssie, one of our captains, have said in welcoming Michael into our league and supporting him as he attempts to achieve his dream of playing in the NFL,” Giants co-owner John Mara said, via NFL.com. “Our sport, our game, is the ultimate meritocracy. You earn your way with your ability. As Patrick Burke and Wade Davis constantly remind all of us, regardless of who you are, what your background is and what your personal or sexual orientation is, if you can play, you can play. Michael’s announcement will not affect his position on our draft board.”
“As I said last night, Michael Sam is a gifted athlete and a courageous man,” Giants co-owner Steve Tisch said. “I hope any NFL team would not hesitate to draft Michael if he is right for their team. Our game is the ultimate team game, and we often talk about how a team is a family. Regardless of where you are from, what your religious beliefs are, what your sexual orientation is, if you are good enough to be on the team, you are part of the family. How the University of Missouri and its football program embraced and supported Michael is a tremendous blueprint for all of us, but frankly, I think the lessons of our game also provide the same positive example.”
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft echoed the Giants’ statement.
“We’re about winning,” Kraft said, via the Boston Herald. “And anyone who can come in here and help us win, I personally don’t care what their ethnic background is, their racial background, the gender preference. If they can help us win, and they’re about team first, then I’m happy to have him here.”
“I don’t think his being gay would be an issue at all for the Ravens,” Ravens President Dick Cass told the team’s website. “We’re all about winning. If he’s a good football player who can help us win games, he will be welcomed here.”