Tag: Michael Sam

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Michael Sam Makes His Mark At First-Ever NFL Veteran Combine

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Today marked the first ever NFL Veteran Combine where 105 former NFL football players were given a chance to show their stuff in hopes of catching the eye of a team looking for talent.

Among those players was Michael Sam.

After coming out last year before the NFL draft, Sam saw his prospects drop from a possible third round pick to seventh round. As the 249th pick last year, Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams but cut on the last day before the regular season began. He was picked up for the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, but released after six weeks.

After months of training, today was Sam’s opportunity to show why he was the 2013 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC.

Cyd Zeigler of Outsports reports on Sam’s performance today:

The results of the Veteran Combine for Sam were mixed. His 40-yard-dash time was disappointing, at around five seconds. Yet I thought he looked a bit looser and more fluid in many of the drills. Interestingly, I overheard a scout say to someone else of another player who wasn’t Sam, “his 40 time wasn’t great but that really doesn’t matter.” It will be interesting to see if the media and teams afford Sam the same luxury.

NFL teams looking for reasons to not sign Sam will focus on that 40 time and his Rookie Combine performance. Teams looking to sign the most talented player will focus on Sam’s performance in the drills, his senior year at Missouri and his preseason with the Rams.

When asked about returning to the football field, Sam answered, “Whoever wants me.”

“Absolutely, I think my chances are high,” the 25-year-old defensive end said. “As long as I have that will to play the game and I am healthy, you’ll continue to see me trying to play in this league. I am very confident I will be playing football somewhere.”

Sam also acknowledged a standing offer he has from a Canadian football team. “If that’s the opportunity, I’ll take it. I’m a fighter and I’m going to keep fighting.”

Man. I want this for Sam so bad.

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NFL-er Michael Sam Makes DWTS Debut With “Uptown Funk”

NFL football player Michael Sam with Peta Murgatroyd makes DWTS debut

My man Michael Sam made his Dancing With The Stars debut last night, with pro dancer Peta Murgatroyd, cha-cha-ing to “Uptown Funk.”

Murgatroyd won Season 14 with Donald Driver (formerly of the Green Bay Packers) so I’m thinking she’s got an inside track on how to teach a football player to dance 🙂

Sam took to Twitter after his first dance:

Having been a professional dancer myself for over 30 years, I step back and watching this I’m awestruck at not only Sam, but any of these celebs who are not “performers” by trade. The idea of DANCING a difficult routine in front of millions for the first time? Wow. Imagine what goes through your head.

Sam and Murgatroyd ended up in the middle of the pack with a score of 26 out of 40 from the judges, so while there’s room for improvement, we all know Sam isn’t one to shy from hard work.

(And yes, I voted for Team Sambatroyd)

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Promo: Michael Sam For Dancing With The Stars

Michael Sam with DWTS partner Peta Murgatroyd

Out NFL-er Michael Sam posted this promo pic with his pro partner, Peta Murgatroyd, on his Facebook page today.

The pic was captioned, “My promo shoot turned out great thanks to this beautiful girl @petamurgatroyd #TeamSambatroyd”

In addition to getting ready for DWTS, Sam will take part in the first ever NFL Veteran Combine on March 22nd in Tempe, AZ.

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Michael Sam Invited To 1st NFL Veteran Combine

Michael Sam, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams, will participate in the first NFL Veteran Combine scheduled to take place on March 22nd in Tempe, AZ.

The veteran combine is a chance for veteran players who may have slipped through the cracks during their earlier time in the NFL.

Via Sporting News:

In 2013, Sam was named the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year. Although he was projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick, Sam was selected final round and became the first openly gay player to be drafted. He was released by Rams in August after failing to survive the final preseason cuts. Sam joined the Cowboys’ practice squad in September but was waived just one month.

Sam was announced earlier this week as a cast member of the 10th season of Dancing With The Stars. Sam had indicated earlier that football is his first priority and the ABC TV show had already assured him their schedule would not interfere with his taking part in the Combine.

Should Sam leave the combine without a deal, he could still accept a one-year offer from the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.

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Out NFL PLayer Michael Sam Will Dance With The Stars

The cast of the 10th anniversary edition of Dancing With The Stars was announced today, and it includes out football player Michael Sam.

Television icon Suzanne Somers, music great Patti LaBelle, football star Michael Sam and Olympian Nastia Liukin are among the stars getting ready to rhumba and samba on the dance floor.

“Shark Tank” mogul Robert Herjavec, “Hunger Games” actress Willow Shields, artist-actress Rumer Willis, “Party Rock Anthem” singer Redfoo and R5 singer-songwriter Riker Lynch will also be vying for the trophy this season.

Sam posted this statement to his Facebook page today regarding DWTS:

Very excited to be a part of DWTS. Football remains my unquestioned number 1 priority, however, while I continue to train and stay ready, I am ecstatic to participate in a fun, athletic competition like so many players before me have done. Filming this offseason is very flexible and allows me to be part of the veterans combine 3/22 if accepted or any other workouts. I’m looking forward to getting started with @PetaMurgatroyd and winning! Thanks for the support! ‪#‎TeamSambatroyd‬

(h/t JMG)

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Video: Michael Sam – One Year Later

Out pro-footballer Michael Sam has penned an op-ed for SI.com wherein he shares his thoughts on the past year as he became the first openly gay player in the NFL.

Deciding to publicly come out is a major moment in every gay person’s life, and nobody wants to be outed. So the reason I came out in the public way I did, in a nationally televised interview, was to ensure that I would again have a chance to tell my story on my own terms.

I don’t think I was prepared, nor could I possibly have been, for what happened next. So many people called me courageous, and some even called me a hero, while others told me that my announcement had given them inspiration and even helped them in their personal journeys. For the record, I don’t consider myself a hero or courageous. I was just being true to myself, but if that was enough to help some people through a difficult time in their lives, then I am very grateful to have been able to do so.

[snip]

I don’t believe that being gay has kept me off an NFL roster, but I will challenge anyone who says I don’t have the talent to make it in the league, and I will continue to push myself every single day and do whatever it takes until I can to earn another roster spot.

Read Sam’s full essay at SI.com.

And check out his interview with SI’s Robert Kiemko below:

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Michael Sam Receives Upstander Award At 2015 HRC Time To THRIVE Conference

Michael Sam accepts the Upstander Award at the HRC Time To THRIVE Conference

At the 2015 Time To THRIVE Conference in Portland, Oregon, out professional football player Michael Sam received the Upstander Award for his inspiration to LGBT youth around the world.

The conference promotes inclusion and well-being for LGBT youth.

Excerpts from his inspiring speech:

On growing up poor, with no family support emotionally:

“I grew up poor, I grew up afraid, I grew up alone. There was 8 members of my family. Out of 8 only 5 are still living. Two are currently in prison, the other two are working class Americans. I grew up afraid because the people I was supposed to love supposed to have my back, supposed to tell me that it’s ok I’m here for you – I didn’t have that. I grew up alone. The people who were supposed to be there for me weren’t. I looked to football and sports to be my sanctuary.”

On having no regrets on coming out before the NFL draft:

“I didn’t want to be ashamed of myself when I come home and I see Vito and look him in the face and lie to myself – and I was like ‘Vito I’m gay to you but only in closed doors but I’m not gay to the world’. I manned up and a couple days ago we celebrated my first anniversary of me being comfortable with who I am and I’m proud of myself. I have no regrets.”

Watch the full speech below.

(h/t Towleroad)

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One Year Ago Today – NFL Hopeful Michael Sam Comes Out

One year ago today, 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and NFL hopeful Michael Sam came out as gay.

On the day after the Super Bowl in 2014, Michael Sam came out. He was, at the time, predicted to be about number 90 in the upcoming NFL draft. Within hours of his announcement, he dropped from a 3rd round draft pick to a 5th round.

As history would show, on the third day of the draft, Sam was picked in the 7th round (#249) by the St. Louis Rams. He would eventually be cut right before the regular season began.

He was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys for their practice squad but released when their defensive line proved more capable than earlier suspected.

But it wasn’t Sam’s performance that was dogging him. Quite the opposite.

In the preseason with St. Louis he racked up 11 tackles and 3 sacks. Those 3 sacks ranked him 4th in the entire NFL.

His college career stats and achievements would seem to have made him a shoe-in for an NFL team.

From Outsports‘ Cyd Zeigler:

Sam is the only drafted Defensive Player of the Year of any of the big five football conferences – ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac 12 and SEC – in the last 20 years to not make an active roster his rookie season (one – Anthony Poindexter – was on IR his rookie season and played the following year for the Ravens). Two decades of drafted DPOYs since 1994, and Sam is the only one to not make an active roster – The only one of 89 players. 100% of them not named Michael Sam made an active roster their rookie season. 100%.

And yet, here we are today, a year later, and Sam is unemployed with no one from the NFL calling.

There really can be only one reason. The reason no one in the NFL wants to articulate, but it’s clear the NFL has a big problem with Sam being openly gay. Everyone would love to say there’s no issue with gay athletes in the NFL, but the bigotry exists. It’s there.

If you read Cyd’s detailed article he compares Sam’s stats to several players who are currently in the NFL. But Sam, sadly, is not.

I’ve championed this guy from day one. He’s not a wanna-be; he’s not a hopeful; he’s the real deal. And more, no one denies his talent and drive.

According to reports, Sam has applied for one of 100 spots at the new Veteran Combine set to take place on March 22nd. This is a new opportunity for some non-rookie players to show that perhaps they “fell through the cracks” along the way.

Outsports says Sam is training every day in preparation for the event. Fingers crossed he not only gets that chance, but his real shot at playing in the NFL.

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Coca-Cola Teams Up With Michael Sam For Positive Message For Internet

Today, if you put yourself out there in the big, wide world, it’s very possible you’re going to encounter some trolls and haters. Folks who, because they feel safe in their parents basement behind a computer screen, think they have a right to comment, crucify and bring you down.

Michael Sam has experienced firsthand how the Internet has grown increasingly negative.

Watch as Sam teams up with Coca-Cola to channel negativity into positivity and provides great advice for how to #MakeItHappy.

Tune in to the 2015 Big Game to watch Coca-Cola’s commercial. More positive messages from Coke partners here.