Michael Sam, the first openly gay football player in American sports history, isn’t giving up on his NFL career. Sam, who just left the Canadian Football League twice in one season, has taken a gig with Mizzou Network to talk about his alma mater.
That doesn’t mean Sam is giving up his career. To prove he’s serious, Sam has fired his publicist and his agent, who have steered him in some directions that made him look more interested in being a celebrity than a defensive lineman.
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In a recent interview Sam talked about his struggles since failing to make an NFL roster in his first few tries, and struggling with the Montreal Argonauts.
“I’ve decided while I take this break from football, I want to focus on my media training and try to get into broadcast and commentary,” Sam said. “Clearly I wanted to spend more time in the NFL than my short, brief little time there, but I had a great time working with Oprah, and I had a great time on Dancing With The Stars.”
Bisexual NFLer Criticizes Michael Sam, Says He "Doesn't Speak For All Gay Men"
Sam transitioned into his decision to fire the people around him that have played a part in keeping him in the spotlight despite a lack of success on the field.
“I actually let go of my agent recently and also let go of my publicist, so I’m just really focusing on me right now. While I’m working on my media training, and working on my Masters, I’ll also continue to pursue my NFL career.”
Sam was all over the map in this interview, and does not seem to grasp that seventh-round talents – even if they were once SEC standouts – don’t succeed in the NFL unless it is their only focus. Sam may be correct in thinking that taking a break from pro football is smart, but time spent in classes and on television being “media trained,” will not entice pro scouts.
Sam’s destiny seems to be some version of Tim Tebow’s quest to return to the NFL. Tebow also took a media job to stay in the public eye, and has been invited to training camps only to fall just short of the 53-man roster. He had 31.5 sacks at Missouri, but it’s likely he will never register a single one in the NFL.
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