Michael Sam and the NFL Draft- It's not that simple

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Monday February 10, 2014 · 5:23 PM PST

2014/02/10 · 17:23

There is a lot of talk regarding Michael Sam today. A lot of it is bullshit.

A popular theme goes something like this: The NFL has declared that openly gay players will face retribution and be paid less. Or: Michael Sam will definitely be drafted lower because he came out on Sunday night.

I understand the larger points (homophobia, workplace discrimination, etc) but attributing the anonymous quotes of NFL assistants to the NFL is unfair. As is suggesting that these 3 guys, who don't make any decisions for the team they work for, constitute the official position of all 32 teams.

First of all, the NFL Draft is a crapshoot. Every player that is considered for the draft has potential issues, on the field and off. No player is a sure thing. For every player drafted in the first round who never becomes even a marginal starter there is at least one other player who went undrafted and became a legitimate starter in the NFL. The Super Bowl was littered with both. Also, an NFL Draft board is configured in tiers. You group players based on your pre-draft grades and there is little separation between, say, the 15th best Defensive End and the 25th best Defensive End. When it is a team’s turn to pick they consult their pre-draft grades and usually whittle the possible selections down to between 3 and 5 players- all with identical grades. From here, they go around the room asking scouts and evaluators for their recommendation, followed by assistant coaches, and so on until it gets to the General Manager or whoever makes the final decision. The Decider is usually wrong. Yep, most draft picks don’t pan out and most don’t have long careers in the NFL. So when presented with 2 identical talents I have no doubt that some GMs will use yesterday’s announcement to “break the tie” and select the non-Michael Sam prospect. It’s not right. But here's the thing: there is no way to prove today that a GM that passes on Sam is wrong. After all, he has not played a single down in the NFL.

Secondly, the NFL does not have one person making draft picks for the entire league. This may seem obvious but you wouldn’t know it today. The apparent theme going around the interwebs is that the NFL has decreed from on-high that Michael Sam will now be selected 2 rounds later than he would have if the draft were held 2 days ago. There is a common saying among players entering the draft, “It only takes one.” It only takes one General Manager to believe that you are a first round pick to make you a first round pick. So just because one General Manager has a problem with the potential "circus" this in no way means that every General Manager does. In fact, some may want the attention. When Tim Tebow became draft eligible there were scouts who believed Tebow would never be able to play Quarterback in the NFL (you know with their well-known bias against guy’s who can’t complete throws to open targets). But there were others that were convinced that he was the next great leader who could lead any team to the Super Bowl. There was a group of people who believed Tebow would be drafted lower only because of his well-known religious views, and another that thought he would be drafted higher precisely because of his outspoken religious views. Tim Tebow was drafted in the first round. And this proves nothing. It did not make the guys who thought he couldn’t play right and it didn’t make the guys who thought he was the next Tom Brady right. The only thing it proved was that the Denver Broncos agreed with the folks that were wrong. I kid, I kid. It proved that the NFL Draft is an inexact science where guys who get paid to succeed by evaluating talent can differ wildly on the same prospects.

The third point is that it is easy to say bigoted and offensive things behind the shield of anonymity. Most of these quotes are coming from people who wouldn’t have dared to have their remarks attributed to them. That is a win for our side as these views are certainly no longer mainstream. The cold reality, however, is that these bigots are telling us anonymously how they actually feel. What keeps me optimistic is knowing the story of Conner Mertens, the Division III kicker at Willamette University who came out as bi-sexual to his teammates first (and then to everyone else), and learning about Sam’s teammates at the University of Missouri. In both instances the teammates of Mertens and Sam either were extremely supportive, or kept quiet. There have not been any stories that have come out that suggest that their experiences were anything but a net positive. This is not to pretend that there isn’t a group of players who privately insist on making juvenile and hurtful remarks. I am sure this happens. But it must now be done in private amongst like-minded bigots or behind the promise of anonymity. Another win for the good guys. And, yes, we are winning.

So there is a lot of talk about Michael Sam today. And while I agree with most of it, I felt the need as a liberal and die-hard football fan to address some of the issues that I have taken with today’s coverage. The story of the first openly gay draft candidate is awesome news. But trying to speculate on NFL prospects is not easy and smart people have been fired for being wrong too often. The football story about Michael Sam is not all that different from Johnny Manziel. There are scouts that believe “Johnny Football” should be the first pick in the draft, while others think he will be a bust because he went to frat parties while he was still in college (GASP). There will surely be scouts that think Sam is undraftable because of his baggage. But today I am optimistic that there are GMs that will embrace this opportunity (whether out of self-preservation or not makes little difference to me). After all, it only takes one.

Maybe Tomorrow (Election Day in Wisconsin)

MilwaukeeAl

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Monday June 04, 2012 · 4:28 PM PDT

2012/06/04 · 16:28

This is my very first diary, and it is about how the Recall Elections have personally changed every part of my life- from talking to friends and neighbors, to when and where I go online, to where I shop and eat. It's inescapable right now.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll log in to Facebook again? Doubtful, yes. But if I want to know who bought a new hot-air balloon for their sheep in Farmville, I can do that!

Maybe tomorrow I won’t have a physical reaction to anyone who disagrees with me. About anything. What do you mean you prefer vanilla frozen custard over Butter Pecan- you must watch Fox!

Maybe tomorrow I’ll cut the grass at the same time as my neighbors. Sure, they use gas-guzzling, noise-polluting lawnmowers that throw sticks and stones arbitrarily at people and property, but it’s possible. I said maybe.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll answer all my incoming calls. Maybe tomorrow I’ll let anyone merge into my lane on the freeway. Maybe tomorrow I’ll talk about the Brewers with everyone in my office. Maybe tomorrow we’ll realize that the ability to recall politicians is a vital part of our representative democracy.

Maybe tomorrow that crazy retired guy from down the street will stop to chat about the weather again. Maybe tomorrow it won’t matter what the demographics are in the crosstabs. Maybe tomorrow I won’t have this constant feeling of nervousness, exhaustion and dread all rolled up into one enormous ball of agitation. Maybe tomorrow I’ll talk to my co-opted cousin who, of course, accuses me of being brainwashed while parroting talking points administered by folks that ain’t from around here.

Maybe tomorrow I can shop at the grocery store that is most convenient to me. Maybe tomorrow I can listen to the radio, or watch TV, without having to change the station the moment the commercials begin. Maybe tomorrow facts will matter. Maybe tomorrow reason will be welcomed. Maybe tomorrow I won’t have to whisper in public.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll stop worrying about whether the MOE needs to be added to each candidate, or just to the spread between the candidates. Maybe tomorrow I can use the shortest, most direct route to the restrooms at work. Maybe tomorrow I can finally begin to make plans for the summer. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have a little more patience for my wife and kids when they ask me a simple question, because maybe tomorrow I won’t be debating on-line know-nothings in my mind non-stop.

Maybe tomorrow I won’t need to open 14 tabs when I log on to Daily Kos just to find out what happened in my state while I was sleeping. Maybe tomorrow I won’t have to risk ruining personal relationships that have been built over decades by asking, again, to please support your own self-interest. Maybe tomorrow we can begin to reconcile.

Maybe tomorrow some normalcy and decency will return to this very decent state. Maybe tomorrow it won’t be as taxing to live in a place where every move, every thought and EVERY action is calculated and motivated by whether someone is with you, or against you.

Maybe tomorrow we can agree that there is common ground. Maybe tomorrow we won’t be so disconnected from the bonds that have held us together for generations.

Maybe tomorrow neighbors will act like neighbors again. Maybe tomorrow we can begin to heal.

Or.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll wake up in Wiscissippi.

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