Monday, February 10, 2014

"You all are the ones who are nervous...I'm excited."

Fascinating read about the weeks leading up to yesterday's news that Michael Sam had decided to come out as a gay man. And woven within it is something most SEC fans have already seen on the field - Sam's unrelenting confidence.

No question this will become one of the biggest sports stories we've seen develop in years. Why? I think this one paragraph sums it up best:
It's easy to understand why. His teammates knew he was gay and none of them cared about showering with him for an entire season. It also didn't hurt the team's success as Missouri finished 12-2 and ranked No. 5 in the country. Sam and his agents know the fears some have tried to put in them are based on simply the fear of the unknown.
Remains to be seen how the NFL will respond. But perhaps they should look to Missouri (and many other college programs like it to be honest, including UGA) as an example. Because what is already clear is that Michael Sam is a winner that can makes teams better, both on the field and in the locker room.