UPDATE 9/3/2014 --
Dallas Cowboys Add Michael Sam To Practice Squad
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Except for the Pats I don't follow football much but it seems pretty obvious that ESPN's story was a dick move . . .
NFL Player Says ESPN Is To Blame For Michael Sam Going Unsigned
The Huffington Post | By Michael Klopman
Posted: 09/01/2014 9:50 pm EDT
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/01/michael-sam-espn-eric-wood_n_5749774.html?&ir=Gay%20Voices&utm_hp_ref=gay-voices
Michael Sam didn't make the St. Louis Rams' 53-man roster. Sam, the first openly gay player ever to be drafted into the NFL, didn't make the Rams' 10-man practice squad either. No other team claimed Sam on waivers over the weekend and now he is a free agent who can sign with any practice squad. But that hasn't happened yet, and Buffalo Bills center Eric Wood thinks he has an idea about why that is.
After Ross Tucker of the NBC Sports Network wondered on Twitter why Sam hasn't been signed to a practice squad despite his solid performance in the preseason (11 tackles and three sacks), Wood pointed to ESPN.
Earlier last week, ESPN reporter Josina Anderson discussed Sam's showering habits when asked on "SportsCenter" about how he was fitting in with his teammates. ESPN later apologized for the report, saying in a statement that "we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."
Despite the apology, Rams coach Jeff Fisher ripped ESPN and called Anderson's piece"very, very unprofessional." The awkward report also drew Rams defensive end Chris Long's attention.
After releasing Sam -- who spoke publicly about his sexuality for the first time in interview with ESPN and The New York Times back in February -- Fisher told reporters that the 2013 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year was not a distraction throughout the team's training camp.
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?
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24687900/espns-josina-anderson-issues-statement-on-michael-sam-shower-storyProFootballTalk.com reports that Anderson hasn't been suspended by ESPN. Regardless, Coach Fisher was livid.
"I'm extremely disappointed in her piece," the coach told the St. Louis Post-DispatchWednesday. "I think it's unethical. I think it's very, very unprofessional. Not only the piece itself, the content. The manner in which she did it."
Fisher went so far as to suggest Anderson "manufactured" the story.
"We have a media policy, and we're very flexible," he said. "We have open practices. Players are available. We have open locker rooms. She was out of line because she went and contacted several players on their personal time. Misled them with questions and then put this piece together. ...
"Obviously she came in, in all likelihood to see if there was gonna be a roster move at the 75 cutdown as it relates to Mike Sam," Fisher continued. "That didn't happen. But she needed to do something, and it's my understanding that she manufactured this story."
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And Wonkette's excellent take . . .
"Oh yes, we are given to understand that Michael Sam also plays a sport of some kind, in addition to all that GAY naked time in the shower..."
http://wonkette.com/558394/espn-has-serious-questions-about-who-showers-with-michael-sam-who-is-gay
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1 comment:
Could be, I don't know shit about the process, but I do smell something stuck to ESPN's shoe.
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