There has been a lot of reaction in the hours following Missouri defensive end Michael Sam’s announcement that he is gay. If drafted, he will become the NFL’s first active openly gay player. We’ve seen a lot of people say that he will become a distraction, former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth addressed that idea and basically put that debate to rest.
Herm Edwards posed a hypothetical question on epsn re: drafting Michael Sam, "can (GM/owner/coach) handle the media... with this situation?"
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
If any NFL team can't "handle the media coverage" of drafting Sam, then your team is already a loser on the field... let me tell you why...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
There are a multitude of issues that can arise in the long duration of an NFL season... some on the field, some off the field.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
You won't have any idea what that on the field/off the field situation is until it's already upon you and the entire organization...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Which means that with drafting Michael Sam, you get a jump start on controlling the "media coverage" right from the onset.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
If an organization is inept to the magnitude of not being able to control things with prior knowledge, how will you handle the unexpected?
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Case Study 1: The Miami Dolphins and the bullying scandal... players talked more about THAT than they did football... for weeks!
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
During that time I questioned (tweeted) why the Dolphins players were talking more about the scandal than their next opponent....
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Since the bullying story broke, the Dolphins finished the season 4-4...w/playoff hopes still alive, got spanked by division opp Jets, 20-7
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Case Study 2: The New England Patriots and Aaron Hernandez AND Tim Tebow situations...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Beyond the state of shock I endured after the revelations of Hernandez, I knew that if ANY organization could handle this, it was the Pats.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
This all happened right before training camp where players are supposed to come in w/clear minds in preparation for a long, rigorous season.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Not only were there questions about Aaron, but also about the health of Gronkowski and how those two combined affected the team as a whole.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Aaron is still awaiting trial & Gronk played in only 7 games this season...but yet the Pats seemed to avoid those "distractions" altogether.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Despite many season ending injuries to key pieces, the Pats finished 12-4 and lost to the Broncos in the AFC title with... ZERO distractions
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Not to mention the whole Tebow signing and (alleged subsequent) distraction wasn't even a blip on most radars... Why?
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
Because Mr. Kraft and Bill Belichick would not allow ANY of that to be a "distraction" to ANYONE in the entire organization...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
In my 10 years as an NFL player, I've played for 6 different teams & have been in every kind of locker room. Vet, young, mature, immature...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
The leaders of an NFL organization AND the locker room better be able to handle adversity that is certain to emerge during a long NFL season
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014
In my experience, if your organization can't "handle media coverage", they will suck on the field anyway... but hey, there's always 2015...
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) February 10, 2014