Jeff Fisher denies deal between Rams, NFL to draft Michael Sam

Jeff Fisher is firing back at a report saying the Rams worked out a deal with the NFL to delay being on the HBO show Hard Knocks by drafting Michael Sam.

Two years ago, the then St. Louis Rams made history with their final pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. Head coach Jeff Fisher and the team selected the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC, Missouri linebacker Michael Sam. The historical part was when Sam came out of the closet two months prior, thus becoming the first openly gay player picked by the league.

It seemed like a natural fit location wise, with the Rams playing just 90 miles from Sam’s alma mater. One writer who covers the Rams recently wrote an article saying the team had worked out a deal with the NFL to take Sam in the seventh round in exchange for the team not having to appear on the HBO yearly reality show Hard Knocks.

During Thursday’s Mike and Mike show on ESPN Radio, now Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher denied that theory and said it was disrespectful to the former NFL linebacker:

"“…It’s insulting, from my standpoint, as it relates to Michael. We had three seventh-round picks. When we drafted Michael he was the best player on the board. Who in their right mind would think that you give up a draft choice to avoid doing something like that?”“It’s really unfair to Michael. Michael worked so hard,” Fisher said. “It’s really not fair to Michael because of all the hard work he put in.”"

Sam stuck with the Rams until the final round of cuts before the 2014 season before signing with the Dallas Cowboys as a member of their practice squad. Since being released from Dallas, Sam has played off and on in the Canadian Football League will vowing to make a return to the NFL.

Wednesday, the Rams were selected by the NFL to be the featured team during the 2016 edition of Hard Knocks while also reportedly being the favorite to host a regular season game in China during the 2018 season. Fisher would later say the team is “excited” for the chance to be on the show this year, with the team being selected in part for their move back to Los Angeles after 21 seasons in St. Louis.

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