He had an opportunity to make a team and didn't... The team he was drafted by didn't sign him to their practice squad. Are they going to do this for every 7th rounder that doesn't make a practice squad? We all know the answer to that... NFL looks silly for doing this, IMO.

 

I don't think the league should play these kind of games but I understand and really can't fault them.

If the NFL did this, it should shock no one. They are about $$ and the more inclusive you are the more fans you get. They will bring in more fans than they lose on issues like this. Like it or not, it is about the $$, nothing more, nothing less. If I were the Commissioner and my pay and job was dependent upon monetary success, I'd think long and hard about doing it.

 

Let's say there was a player from India or China that was borderline making a team and it will happen in the next 10 years, I believe they would do the same thing. Again, the more inclusive, the more fans, the more $$.

I am not even really thinking about the money, I just think it is the right thing to do.

Did Shaun give any personal thoughts on Sam? Shaun is a pretty religious guy, correct?

 

 

Full Interview is linked here.

 

http://bluegrasspreps.com/national-football-league/shaun-alexander-interview-283649.html

I am not even really thinking about the money, I just think it is the right thing to do.

 

Why?

Why?

 

1. To make sure he gets a fair shot.

 

2. So next time it isn't such a circus.

 

3. If #1 and #2 are accomplished it is really good for the NFL.

Will a team sign me under the "He's 50, fat, and can't run or play a lick" clause?

1. To make sure he gets a fair shot.

 

2. So next time it isn't such a circus.

 

3. If #1 and #2 are accomplished it is really good for the NFL.

 

How has he not gotten a fair shot thus far?

How has he not gotten a fair shot thus far?

 

We really don't know. He probably did. However, a second chance with a team like the Cowboys is very convincing.

We really don't know. He probably did. However, a second chance with a team like the Cowboys is very convincing.

 

And undeserved if the NFL suggested somebody do it.

And undeserved if the NFL suggested somebody do it.

 

I don't know. The Rams were clear they were deep at DE. The NFL added almost 100 practice squad positions this year. I think the good outweighs the bad.

How has he not gotten a fair shot thus far?

 

Do you think the Rooney Rule is good or bad for the NFL? Do you think affirmative action overall is good or bad?

 

My point is with out the Rooney Rule how do we know black coaches were getting a fair shot? The rule really doesn't guarantee they will now but at least it gets them in front of team executives. I heard a stat the other day that Sams is the only D lineman to have more than 2 sacks in preseason and not make a 53 man roster. Can you or I really say he's gotten a fair shot? Maybe he got one with the Rams but does that mean he got one from the NFL? What if teams didn't want to give him a chance because he was publicly gay?

 

I don't see a thing wrong with the NFL asking. Goodell works for the owners so really he's just asking his bosses to consider it.

Do you think the Rooney Rule is good or bad for the NFL? Do you think affirmative action overall is good or bad?

 

My point is with out the Rooney Rule how do we know black coaches were getting a fair shot? The rule really doesn't guarantee they will now but at least it gets them in front of team executives. I heard a stat the other day that Sams is the only D lineman to have more than 2 sacks in preseason and not make a 53 man roster. Can you or I really say he's gotten a fair shot? Maybe he got one with the Rams but does that mean he got one from the NFL? What if teams didn't want to give him a chance because he was publicly gay?

 

I don't see a thing wrong with the NFL asking. Goodell works for the owners so really he's just asking his bosses to consider it.

 

 

Then, unfortunately, that's part of it. That's just how I look at it. Some guys don't get shots with teams because their personalities aren't seen as conductive to what the organization and their ideal overall makeup of the locker room. I'm not saying it's right, and I'm not saying it's fair, but you know that Sam has the potential to be a distraction. For a no-nonsense coach and organization, I don't see them wanting to take a chance on a marginal talent. Now, if he was as talented as Jadeveon Clowney, then sure, people would be taking a chance on him. But you know that in the back of some coach's minds is the fact that they could see a player saying something in an interview that just starts a whirlwind of criticism.

 

Given the Dolphins' bullying scandal, do you think they want to take him in their locker room? Say something goes wrong, word leaks, etc., and he's a Dolphin. Could you imagine what kind of wrath the media would bring onto them in wake of their transgressions over the past year?

 

Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens were talented enough to be on teams but weren't. That's because they were seen as a distraction in the locker room. Fair or unfair, you know that Sam has the potential to be the same. You've got a guy who obviously doesn't care to be in front of the cameras. There are already articles like the one quoting his college roommate who said he thought Sam had changed. You know he's going to want to make the most of his fame and do things like a book deal, interviews with Oprah, etc. That much has already been stated. Given the potential for him to become a bigger story than the team, there are going to be reservations. Part of that is his own fault, part isn't.

 

Another guy who is probably talented enough to be in the league but isn't whose situation is fairly analogous to Michael Sam would be Tim Tebow. It's hard for me to believe that the Rams thought Brett Favre would be a better backup to sign than Tebow when they were talking about that last year. Like Sam, Tebow can't help a lot of the attention he gets, but he also could stand to go a little easier on his aspirations until he makes the football part take care of itself.

 

What I'm trying to get at here is that Bill Belicheck, Tom Coughlin, Jim Harbaugh, those types don't strike me as guys who really want a "looking for a book deal" type guy, especially not a marginal talent.

 

 

All that said, I think it's fair to say that, other than the LGBT community, there's probably no one wants Sam to succeed more than the NFL.

Do you think the Rooney Rule is good or bad for the NFL? Do you think affirmative action overall is good or bad?

 

My point is with out the Rooney Rule how do we know black coaches were getting a fair shot? The rule really doesn't guarantee they will now but at least it gets them in front of team executives. I heard a stat the other day that Sams is the only D lineman to have more than 2 sacks in preseason and not make a 53 man roster. Can you or I really say he's gotten a fair shot? Maybe he got one with the Rams but does that mean he got one from the NFL? What if teams didn't want to give him a chance because he was publicly gay?

 

I don't see a thing wrong with the NFL asking. Goodell works for the owners so really he's just asking his bosses to consider it.

 

I think the best man/woman for the job should get it, regardless of race, gender, nationality or sexual preference. I also think that a 7th round pick that went through camp and got cut once already has had his fair shot. If he wasn't gay, would the NFL have asked teams to pick him up? The answer is no. What about all the other guys cut from rosters that won't get a second chance, because they aren't gay... What's that say to them? "Well, neither of you were good enough to make the team, but because he's gay, we suggest somebody give him a second chance." Are you kidding me? It's a joke if you ask me.

 

And the difference between Michael Sam and the black coaches that have/will benefit from the Rooney rule is this... Those coaches weren't even getting interviews before, the rule changed that. Sam got his interview just like everybody else, and wasn't hired.

Well, regardless of whether they should or they shouldn't have, the Cowboys signed him. I have doubts that they would have even considered him on the strength of suggestion alone. Do we even know if he was considered for any other teams because of the alleged request for consideration?