So far, so good.
This seems to be the message that Michael Sam is saying regarding his St. Louis Rams teammates, saying he has fitted in well with the team that drafted him in the seventh round of this year's draft.
''They respect me as a human being. And as a football player," the NFL's first openly gay player told the Associated Press.
He has won his teammates because of his sense of humor. Says wide receiver T. J. Moe, a teammate of Sam at Missouri: "''If anybody had any reservations about who he was to begin with, he wins them over pretty quick. They're laughing so hard, they can't breathe.''
Defensive tackle Michael Brockers said the team is not focused on the outside stuff, saying they consider Sam as a brother.
While he has won over his new teammates, Sam still has a lot of work cut out for him in the field. He says he's been working double time to learn the plays. ''It's faster, you've got to learn a lot more plays, you've got to know what you're doing. You're supposed to perform at a high level and I'm doing pretty good.''
Veteran Chris Long says Sam's sexual orientation is not a problem for the team. ''Only the media cares. The players don't care, we just care about what kind of football player you are. We got a steal in whatever round we took him in.''
Even Aaron Donald, picked in the first round, does not mind that Sam is getting the media attention.
''He's a cool guy. We get along well and we're trying to get ready for the season together.''
How do you think will Sam fare in his first season? Tell us @SportsWN.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
