Tag: Michael Sam

Jeff Fisher denies Jon Gruden’s claim that NFL pressured Rams into drafting Michael Sam

“Lastly, the NFL never encouraged or discouraged me regarding the selection of a potential prospect,” Fisher wrote.

In the collection of ugly Jon Gruden e-mails that have been leaked, leading to the resignation of the now-former Las Vegas Raiders head coach, he claimed that the NFL pressured the St. Louis Rams into drafting linebacker Michael Sam, the first openly gay player ever drafted into the league.

However, the man who was the coach of the Rams at the time when Sam was drafted in 2014, former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, has since taken to Twitter to deny that ever happened.

“Michael Sam was the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and we selected him in the 2014 NFL Draft based on his defensive production and pass rushing skill set on the field,” Fisher wrote. “As a head coach for over 20 years, we drafted or didn’t draft, players based on a variety of qualities. Their sexual orientation would never – and should never – play a part in the decision-making process.

“I continue to support Michael, and his decision to come out as the first draft eligible openly gay player in the league. It took courage to serve as a role model for those competitive football players who may also happen to be gay.

“Lastly, the NFL never encouraged or discouraged me regarding the selection of a potential prospect.”

Fisher spent 17 seasons with the Oilers/Titans before moving on to coach the Rams for another five. He is set to be inducted into the Titans’ Ring of Honor this year.

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Jeff Fisher responds to Jon Gruden’s claim that Roger Goodell pressured Rams to draft Michael Sam

Jeff Fisher fired back at Jon Gruden’s claim that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressured the Rams into drafting Michael Sam in 2014.

Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Raiders this week after the New York Times revealed racist, homophobic and misogynistic emails that were sent by Gruden over the course of seven years before he was hired by the Raiders. It was uncovered that Gruden claimed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell pressured the St. Louis Rams into drafting Michael Sam in 2014, who was the first openly gay player drafted in NFL history.

Jeff Fisher was the head coach of the Rams at the time of Sam being drafted, and on Tuesday night, Fisher responded to Gruden’s claim. He said the Rams “selected him in the 2014 NFL Draft based on his defensive production and pass rushing skill set on the field.”

Fisher also said a player’s “sexual orientation would never – and should never – play a part in the decision-making process.”

Here’s Fisher’s full statement, which he released on Twitter.

The Rams selected Sam in the seventh round that year after he earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the SEC during his final season at Missouri. They waived him in August and he was signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad that September, but he never appeared in a regular-season game.

Sam has not publicly responded to Gruden’s unsubstantiated claim, but he did share this tweet on National Coming Out Day, the same day Gruden resigned as coach of the Raiders.

Fisher coached the Rams from 2012-2016, going 31-45-1 during his time in St. Louis and briefly in L.A.

From Michael Sam to Carl Nassib: How far we’ve come, how far we still have to go

Sports Seriously: Before Carl Nassib there was Michael Sam. Scott Gleeson looks at how far we’ve come since Sam in 2014 and what Nassib represents for the future of male dominated sports in America.

Sports Seriously: Before Carl Nassib there was Michael Sam. Scott Gleeson looks at how far we’ve come since Sam in 2014 and what Nassib represents for the future of male dominated sports in America.

Michael Sam praises Carl Nassib for becoming the NFL’s first openly gay player

Michael Sam is very aware of the strength required to do what Carl Nassib did.

Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib took a courageous step Monday. He became the first active NFL player to come out as gay, and, for the most part, the announcement was met with rousing support and respect. It was a monumental moment for the league and, hopefully, a sign of growth.

“I actually hope that one day videos like this and the whole coming out process are just not necessary,” Nassib said in his announcement. The league has a ways to go before getting to that point, but the reaction to Nassib’s announcement was a far cry from what we saw in 2014 when Michael Sam came out months before the NFL Draft, which fueled the awful take machine for months.

Sam’s NFL career never got off the ground — him being openly gay almost certainly played a role in that — and he was not able to appear in a regular-season game, preventing him from becoming the first active openly gay player in league history, but his courage helped to pave the way for Nassib.

On Tuesday morning, a gracious Sam took to Twitter to congratulate Nassib on coming out…

Sam, the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, dropped to the sixth round in the 2014 NFL Draft after getting Day 2 buzz before he came out. And after a good showing in preseason with the Rams and a brief stint on the Cowboys practice squad, Sam was out of the league. His margin for error was so thin and might help to explain why players, especially those fighting for a roster spot, are so hesitant to come out.

Hopefully, the league has evolved over the last seven years and Nassib, a quality role player at an important position, can continue his career without having to deal with the obstacles Sam faced for reasons that had nothing to do with his ability to play football.

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Carl Nassib receives praise and thanks from Michael Sam

Former Missouri Tiger and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Sam offered his praise and thanks to Carl Nassib.

Fomer Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib announced to the world on Monday that he is gay. In doing so, Nassib became the first active openly gay player in NFL history, and he has been receiving plenty of praise and support for his courage to come out from every possible angle. With support coming from Penn State head coach James Franklin and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Nassib has blazed a new trail for all in the LGBTQ community. And on Tuesday morning, Nassib received public praise from Michael Sam.

Sam, the former Missouri Tiger and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, took to Twitter to lend his support for Nassib, thanking him for doing what he is doing with his announcement and support for The Trevor Project.

In 2014, following his collegiate career with the Missouri Tigers, Sam announced that he is gay prior to the NFL draft. The St. Louis Rams selected Sam in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft, making Sam the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. However, Sam was cut by the Rams at the end of training camp just before the start of the 2014 NFL season. Sam has never played a game in the league.

Sam did sign with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League and became the first active openly gay player in the CFL in 2015. Sam stepped away from professional football in August 2015 due to mental health reasons. Today, Sam is an author and motivational speaker.

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