A few weeks back I wrote that it was time for Michael Sam to put up or shut up in regard to his opportunity with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
That’s the sound of silence you hear from north ofthe border.
Citing mental health issues, Sam has stepped away from his reported $100,000 contract and, more importantly, his commitment to his team.
“The last 12 months have been very difficult for me to the point where I’ve been concerned with my mental health,” he announced via Twitter.
“Because of this, I am going to step away from the game at this time.
Twitter rhymes with quitter. That’s what Sam will also be remembered for – along with coming out last year before the NFL Draft.
The former Mizzou standout and SEC co-defensive player of the year was drafted by the Rams and then cut. I thought he did enough to make the team. The Rams, and later the Cowboys, were right. I was wrong. He simply either wasn’t good enough and/or he was not willing to get better.
Twelve plays. That is the extent of Sam’s professional football career.
He didn’t make a tackle nor did he assist on one. Fresh off his stint on Dancing with the Stars, Sam showed up in Montreal out of shape and with issues.
He left the team for “personal reasons” shortly thereafter and his team should have jettisoned the young man immediately. The franchise allowed him to return a few weeks later and he entered a divided locker room.
Some teammates might have bristled at his being gay, but the real problem was that his mind and his heart were not on playing football. He played in one CFL game. Now he’s gone.
I am not making light of the challenge that he faced, first in society, then in the worlds of the NFL and CFL.
There are players, coaches and fans that wanted Sam to fail solely because he is gay. That’s a fact.
Reporter Vicki Hall wrote in a Canada.com column that a Twitter conversation involving You Can Play founder Patrick Burke included a CFL staffer saying she spent hours deleting “horrible comments” on the CFL Facebook page after Sam called it quits.
You Can Play is an organization which “works to insure the safety and inclusion of all in sports – including LGBT athletes, coaches and fans.”
A worthy cause but Burke somehow blames the media for Sam’s woes.
“Media coverage of Michael Sam shows just how far society has to go not only on LGBT issues but on mental health issues,” he wrote on Twitter.
He wrongly is accusing all media members of bias because he received an email from “a prominent Canadian sports reporter” that was “despicable, pathetic, revolting” and accused Sam of faking mental illness.
One idiot, who Burke doesn’t name for some unknown reason, does not represent the thousands of journalists that gave Sam a fair shake and are now disappointed that he has given up.
On the same weekend that Sam left his team and dreams behind, Milwaukee Brewers prospect David Denson announced he is gay. He is also African American.
History is now recording him as the first openly gay player on a team affiliated with a Major League Baseball franchise.
Denson said a teammate jokingly dropped the F-word derogatory term for gay men on him. Denson said he replied “Be careful what you say. You never know.”
“Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them,” Denson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“They said, ‘You’re still our teammate. You’re still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You’re still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don’t treat you any different. We’ve got your back.’”
Like Sam, Denson has promise. He hit a home run and was named MVP of the Pioneer League All-Star Game on August 4. In 68 games as of Monday the first baseman was hitting .227 with five home runs and 26 RBI. He had also struck out an alarming 72 times compared to just 33 walks.
He might not ever get a shot in the Majors, but his being gay doesn’t seem to be causing mental anguish as he plays minor league baseball
“The outcome (of coming out to the team) was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality,” he said.
As for Sam, he closed his Twitter announcement by writing “I thank the Alouettes for this opportunity and hope to be back on the field soon.”
On what field? In what sport? Michael Sam’s professional football career is most likely over. I see a reality show in his future, don’t you?
