LGBTQ news and entertainment
With a minute to go in the third quarter of the Detroit Lions/Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, Detroit tight end Joseph Fauria delivered a touchdown catch and signed a postscript with twerking in the end zone.
Detroit went on to win the game, 34-17, thanks in part to Fauria’s obvious skills.
Oh, and his ability to play football.
Out football player Michael Sam got cornered by TMZ at LAX yesterday, where he fielded a few questions about his plans moving forward, plus whether or not he thought coming out affected his NFL prospects.
When asked if he thinks NFL teams are shying away from him because of his sexual orientation … or if it has to do with the level of talent he faced after college:
“I think I was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year … so I don’t think it had to do with talent.”
As always, Sam handles himself and the questions with grace. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
By the way, he’s looking pretty handsome here, don’t you think?
Could Michael Sam’s football career take him north?
According to Chris Battaglia at The Score, the Montreal Alouettes are talking to Michael Sam about playing there in 2015 and the chances are “50/50” that the deal could work.
The possibility of Sam playing for the Alouettes has been up in the air since the St. Louis Rams released him at the end of preseason play. That was when it came to light that Sam was on Montreal’s negotiation list, which means the CFL team has the exclusive right to sign him.
Sam has been a free agent since the Dallas Cowboys cut him from their practice squad in October.
The Alouettes were eliminated from the CFL playoffs in the East Division final after going 8-2 in their last 10 regular-season games. Defense was Montreal’s biggest strength, and adding a player of Sam’s caliber would give it arguably the best pass rush in the league.
Former NFL scout Russ Lande believes Sam’s body type and playing style are well-suited for Canadian football, comparing him to former Calgary Stampeders defensive end Cordarro Law. Law signed with the San Diego Chargers and made his NFL debut this year after recording 14 sacks with the Stampeders in 2013.
“(Sam) could star in the CFL,” Lande told Sean Keeler of Fox Sports Kansas City. “The reality is, in the CFL, a lot of their pass rushers are 250-pound, smallish guys who’ve got quick feet. (Sam) can run, he uses his hands well, he’s got a nose for the quarterback.”
Additionally, Sam may be getting an offer from Vince Neil (front man for Mötley Crüe) who owns the Las Vegas Outlaws franchise of the Arena Football League.
Out NFL-er Michael Sam talking to GQ Magazine’s Andrew Corsello:
“If I had it my way, I never would have done it the way I did, never would have told it the way I did,” Michael Sam tells GQ’s Andrew Corsello of his decision to come out prior to the NFL draft.
“But the recruiters knew, and reporters knew, and they talked to each other, and it got out. If I didn’t have the year I did, nobody would have cared.
“But I have no regrets. Some people can argue that I had the potential to go higher in the draft. But I think everything happens for a reason.
“It looks good to see me in the position I’m in now, because I can show the world how good I am and rise up the ranks. I’m at the bottom now. I can rise up, show I’m a football player. Not anything else. Just a football player.”
Read the full interview at GQ.
Who knows what’s next for Michael Sam, but I still believe in this guy. He was and is the right guy at the right time.
Watch.
What a year for out NFL-er Michael Sam.
The 24 year old became the first openly gay football player to be drafted by an NFL team, the St. Louis Rams.
After a solid pre-season, Sam was cut by the Rams but picked up by the Dallas Cowboys for their practice squad. That stint lasted seven weeks but in characteristic courage and grace he publicly thanked the Cowboys owner, friends, family and fans for their support.
Where Sam goes from here, we wait and see. But I’m certain his journey has only just begun.
GQ Magazine gets big props for putting the handsome Sam on one of the six “Men Of The Year” covers.
Other cover men include Chris Pratt, Steve Carell, Dave Chappelle, Shailene Woodley, and Ansel Elgort.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, has hit another momentary stumbling block to joining the active roster of an NFL team.
Michael Sam has been released from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
UGH.
From USA Today:
The Dallas Cowboys waived the rookie end off their practice squad Tuesday and signed linebacker Troy Davis.
Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team, was waived in the final round of cuts by the St. Louis Rams in August and was available for several days before the Cowboys picked him up.
Sam was drafted by the Rams in the seventh round out of Missouri.
Just this past weekend Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones was quoted as saying, “Sam has blended in seamlessly with the Cowboys” and that Sam’s sexuality was “a dead issue.”
The Cowboys defense had been considered weak in the last few seasons, so Sam seemed a good fit for the practice squad. But the Cowboys have racked up an impressive 6-1 record in the current NFL season.
With his trademark class and positive perspective, Sam made this statement via Twitter:
“I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support. While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday.”
I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, (1/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
and fans for their support. While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an (2/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday. (3/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
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| Dallas Cowboys’ Michael Sam |
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Michael Sam’s sexuality – “It’s a dead issue. A dead issue:”
“Sam has blended in seamlessly with the Cowboys, doing whatever is asked of him in practice – even playing a little offense on the scout squad. He watches from the sidelines with the other practice players during home games, coming up to the edge of the field to study the defense and going back to the bench to join in the breakdowns after each series.
“He comes to work every day, practices hard,” coach Jason Garrett said last week. “He’s working on his skills and trying to develop.”
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This is, according to the folks at Dick’s Sporting Goods, the official ranking of the best-selling players jerseys nationwide at this point in the current NFL season.
Apparently, Alaskans really like the St. Louis Rams and Hawaiians are big on the Carolina Panthers.
My home state of Nevada would be bullish (“coltish?”) on the Indianapolis Colts, but truth be told I’ve never heard anyone here say “Go Colts.”
(Although I do think the Colts’ current quarterback Andrew Luck is pretty talented).
Jon Stewart of The Daily Show reminds us of those golden days when the NFL’s most worrisome headache was the claim that out NFL-er Michael Sam gave franchise owner heartburn because they worried about his homosexuality “becoming a distraction.”
Well, can’t you imagine what the NFL would give for the hunky Mr. Sam to do something – ANYTHING – to cause a distraction from the current scandals rocking the football world?
Between the Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice getting national attention for punching out his then-fiance back in February, and now the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson whipping his four year old child until his son bled, a gay football player looks pretty tame now, doesn’t it?
Stewart puts it all into perspective, as only he can, below:
Recording star Rihanna was supposed to perform at tonight’s Thursday Night Football broadcast, but the network thought twice about that one and changed course.
Apparently, CBS Sports started to reshape the pre-game show after video of former NFL-er Ray Rice punching out his (then) fiancé in an elevator came to light.
From The Celebrity Cafe:
The network had planned to open the broadcast with a comedy sketch and Rihanna’s performance of “Run This Town,” along with a Don Cheadle narration.
Now, though, that has all been scrapped. Instead, a new report from CBS This Morning’s Norah O’Donnell will air. O’Donnell got the scoop on Tuesday as the first reporter to speak with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the tape’s release.
“It’s important to realize we are not overreacting to this story but it is as big a story as has faced the NFL,” CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus told SI. “We thought journalistically and from a tone standpoint, we needed to have the appropriate tone and coverage. A lot of the production elements we wanted in the show are being eliminated because of time or tone.”
Coincidentally, the first TNF game will feature Rice’s former team, the Baltimore Ravens, who will play division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Earlier Thursday, Goodell announced that he has picked former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III to lead an independent investigation into the league’s handling of the Rice case. However, the investigation will still be overseen by two NFL owners.
Rihanna was a victim of domestic violence herself, famously abused by Chris Brown in 2009. Brown is still on probation.