kgienk245gew he NFL should be thankful the St. Louis Rams ended the last bit of suspense in this year's draft by selecting defensive end Michael Sam late in the seventh round. For one, it saved commissioner Roger Goodell from the awkward task of having to answer questions about whether the league is filled with homophobia. More importantly, it gave Sam the chance to prove he does actually belong at the next level. That is the question only he can answer in the coming months, and he found the best possible place to do it.
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If we're really being honest with ourselves, there were only so many teams that had the right makeup to handle the task of employing the first openly gay player in the NFL. St. Louis, in retrospect, should've been right at the top. The Rams have the perfect mix of variables that could help Sam find an instant comfort zone in the league. The first thing on that list is their location -- only 125 miles from the same Missouri campus where Sam became a first-team All-American last season.
That proximity is something Sam should cherish. It means he doesn't have to wonder if a community is going to embrace him, and his new team doesn't have to fret about how the locals will react to its seventh-round pick. The state of Missouri has already moved beyond Sam's historic announcement back in February.
But the people who want to believe the rest of this country is in the exact same place are fooling themselves. Even if it wasn't obvious, you can bet some general managers thought long and hard about what kind of distractions might come with Sam's arrival. That's just part of the business.
PR
