The Rams selected DE Michael Sam in the seventh round of the NFL Draft yesterday, "marking a historic moment for the franchise, for the league and for American sports" in drafting the first openly gay athlete in NFL history. ESPN "had a camera crew" at the house where Sam was watching the draft, and after "he took the call from Rams coach Jeff Fisher, Sam kissed his boyfriend several times on the mouth" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/11). Sam, who cried during Fisher's call, said, "Waiting three days, I think you’d be a little bit emotional yourself" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/11).
Sam "stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped" after he came out. But Sam said, "From last season alone, I should've been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American." Sam: "Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know" (AP, 5/10). The Rams "saved the NFL from profound embarrassment" by choosing Sam. Fisher: "In the world of diversity we live in now, I’m honored to be a part of this" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/11).
