As Michael Sam preps for draft, NFL teams show interest

One general manager has expressed concern about media attention

National Football League (NFL) hopeful Michael Sam is reportedly sparking interest among a number of teams as draft day approaches, The Baltimore Sun reports.

The Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens have been looking at the former University of Missouri defensive end, who was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, the report notes.

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome thinks Sam is a good player but expressed concern over how the media will handle the potential presence of the first openly gay (non-retired) NFL player in history. Newsome says it’s new territory for all concerned but feels the Ravens’ locker room has a history of adapting to change. The team’s head coach, John Harbaugh, feels the Ravens would welcome Sam, saying, “We’re really good at helping players, any player, become a part of our team,” the Sun reports.

The NFL draft kicks off May 8.

Natasha Barsotti is originally from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. She had high aspirations of representing her country in Olympic Games sprint events, but after a while the firing of the starting gun proved too much for her nerves. So she went off to university instead. Her first professional love has always been journalism. After pursuing a Master of Journalism at UBC , she began freelancing at Xtra West — now Xtra Vancouver — in 2006, becoming a full-time reporter there in 2008.

Read More About:
Culture, News, Sports

Keep Reading

Mya Foxx with an up arrow behind her; PM with a down arrow behind her

‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Season 6, Episode 3 power ranking: Big Sister

Social strategy comes into play in a big way—but does it pay off?
Icesis Couture and Pythia behind podiums

‘Canada’s Drag Race’ Season 6, Episode 3 recap: Pick your drag poison

Season 6’s top 11 queens get to choose their own adventure: Snatch Game or design challenge?
The cover of Casanova 20; Davey Davis

Davey Davis’s new novel tenderly contends with the COVID-19 pandemic

“Casanova 20” follows the chasms—and—connections between generations of queer people
Two young men, one with dark hair and one with light hair, smile at each other. The men are shirtless and in dark bedding.

‘Heated Rivalry’ is the steamy hockey romance we deserve

The queer Canadian hockey drama packs heart and heat, setting it apart from other MLM adaptations