Rams’ Tre Mason: Michael Sam is a ‘family member to me now’
By Mike Dyce
The St. Louis Rams drafted defensive end Michael Sam in the seventh and final round of the 2014 NFL Draft, making him the first openly gay player in the NFL, and now we get to see if it affects the locker room like all the detractors said it could. For former Auburn running back Tre Mason, who was also drafted by the Rams but in the third-round, it doesn’t make any difference.
“I welcome him with open arms,” Mason told reporters in St. Louis Tuesday. “Everyone is entitled to who they want to love. He’s a man of his own and he’s entitled to do that. We’re a team and he’s also a family member to me now. We’re here for the same goal and that’s to win the Super Bowl.”
The Rams used their top pick on Mason’s teammate at Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson. He also voiced support for Sam.
“I don’t think he’ll be a problem in the locker room just because of the guy he comes off as,” Robinson said. “He’s real cool and he’s been trying to interact with us because he knows we probably have those thoughts in the back of our own head.”
“I think everybody makes their own decisions,” Robinson added. “If that’s the way he wants to live his life, that’s him. I don’t think it will interfere with football.”