Michael Sam may have made some sort of history by being the first openly player drafted into the NFL, but he’ll have earn his way onto the Rams final roster.
According to Pro Football Talk, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that Sam, will have to earn his roster spot.
[W]e picked him within the process and we’re going to reduce this roster within the process,” Fisher said of Sam. “So I don’t see that being an issue.”
There is the issue of whether or not Sam will get a fair shake in his quest to make the Rams final 53 man roster.
“[I]t’s going to be very competitive for him, as it will be for some of the other guys, the later picks, because of the depth and the talent level at the position,” Fisher said. “He’s going to have to come in, and like the rest of his new teammates, these rookies, they’re not in shape. Not in the condition our veterans are in. He’s going to have to work to get in great shape and we’ll blend him in the offseason program and we’ll go.”
Fisher and Rams brass will be subject to scrutiny from both ends. If Sam is cut, advocates of the LGBT community will believe Sam was cut because of his sexual orientation.
If Sam makes the team, Fisher will have to manage the perception that his locker room isn’t prepared to handle Sams sexuality on a daily basis.