The Weak Response From the NFL When Carl Nassib Came Out As Gay Is A Lot Like Michael Sam
I remember posting a good deal about Michael Sam when he first came out as an openly gay football player. The response from mainstream straights…all of them…was not that overwhelming. They either went blank or said something stupid. One reporter even wondered how he would use the locker rooms. It was a straight woman reporter. In all her straight white privilege that’s all she seemed concerned about. And we all know what happened to Michael Sam.
I’m sorry, but do we not remember what happened to Michael Sam, the star college defender who never ended up playing a down in the NFL after coming out as gay in 2014? Does Whitlock forget how much Sam was mocked and ridiculed after kissing his boyfriend on national television? That prominent NFL figures, such as Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, said they wouldn’t have drafted him because of the distraction his gayness would cause?
Here’s more. In any event, this is a great piece about how weak the response was from the NFL with regard to Nassib coming out. It wasn’t the greatest show of support and it’s a good example of how the straights usually respond to things like this. It’s also a form of homophobia…even from our so-called straight allies. I think it’s partly because they don’t understand it all yet. They’re still thinking of gay people in terms of Will and his Grace and not a pro football player. And they have absolutely no idea about how many more gay men are still in the closet.