I am an ardent supporter for same-sex marriage, but believe the PC crowd is getting their panties in a bunch over nothing here. There were going to be pros and cons with Sam's coming out and a known con was that certain programs wouldn't want to deal with the surrounding hoopla.
People like Dungy are the reason there would be any "issues" with Sam coming out. The rest of us just don't care. He's a football player like all the rest.
This is called blaming the victim.
Dungy was supportive of bringing back Michael Vick and all his baggage.
Huh, pretty much verbatim what some white folk said about black folk coming into professional sports back in the day.
Nice,Dungy.
Honestly it should just come down to "are there better players?"
Dude is a 7th round pick. He aint making the team. He only got all the pub for his sexuality. There are no victims here outside of common sense.
I'm glad Branch Rickey wasn't afraid to deal with some issues by signing Jackie Robinson and bringing him up to the Dodgers.
Left Said Fred wrote:
Dungy was supportive of bringing back Michael Vick and all his baggage.
Did Dungy draft or sign Vick when he was released from prison? That is not how I remember it.
Dungy is supportive of Sam playing in the NFL and has said so on several occasions. He just said that he would not have drafted him. It isn't like Sam was a number 1 pick that could very well be worth the media circus (see Manziel). He was a bottom of the barrel pick that may or may not workout. Guys like him are cut from teams all the time with little or no media attention. If Sam gets cut the media will be all over it.
Mr. Obvious wrote:
People like Dungy are the reason there would be any "issues" with Sam coming out. The rest of us just don't care. He's a football player like all the rest.
This is called blaming the victim.
I don't think that's the case. Dungy doesn't care that Sam is homosexual. He is acknowledging the fact that people out there DO care and are going to turn everything he does into a media circus that Tony wouldn't want to deal with.
Yes, it is blaming the victim, but I don't find it to be the least bit homophobic. I liken it to if a coach had said that didn't want to draft Manti Teo after all the news about him being catfished right before the draft.
Some coaches can handle distractions better than others. Tony wishes Sam wasn't a distraction, but notes that he is as well as his own shortcomings in handling distractions.
Look - Tony Dungy is a Super Bowl winning coach. When an NFL head coach is hired that is his only job. He acknowledges the distractions when you draft a homosexual. Why would any head coach want to deal with that distraction. St Louis will have the distraction, and it will be a distraction. 1) The backlash when he gets cut. 2) Keep him on the practice squad instead of cutting him. 3) Locker room challenges. 4) He is undersized and a 7th round pick. My guess is St Louis garners some publicity and keeps him on the practice squad for a year and then quietly releases him. Everyone will then move on. If he was a first round pick that everyone wanted and a projected starter Dungy would have taken him if it made his team better.
midwestern roll wrote:
Mr. Obvious wrote:People like Dungy are the reason there would be any "issues" with Sam coming out. The rest of us just don't care. He's a football player like all the rest.
This is called blaming the victim.
I don't think that's the case. Dungy doesn't care that Sam is homosexual. He is acknowledging the fact that people out there DO care and are going to turn everything he does into a media circus that Tony wouldn't want to deal with.
Yes, it is blaming the victim, but I don't find it to be the least bit homophobic. I liken it to if a coach had said that didn't want to draft Manti Teo after all the news about him being catfished right before the draft.
Some coaches can handle distractions better than others. Tony wishes Sam wasn't a distraction, but notes that he is as well as his own shortcomings in handling distractions.
I more or less agree with midwestern roll. An irony is that Dungy is somewhat being proven correct by the overreaction of the media to his comments. It's headline news on all the sports sites. This will be the case all season, if Same makes the team. That's a distraction, and is something that most coaches and GMs would take into consideration when drafting a player.
Would Dungy have felt the same way about Jackie Robinson?
HELLO!
READ THE STATEMENT!
He didn't want a reality TV show following the guy around. He doesn't want to deal with Oprah Winfrey and her bullshit crews.
He has no issues with the gay thing.
I hate the NFL and barely know who this guy is, but it is clear as day that he isn't against drafting a gay guy.
runner who professes wrote:
Would Dungy have felt the same way about Jackie Robinson?
I would imagine so.
The Wealth Gap wrote:
HELLO!
READ THE STATEMENT!
He didn't want a reality TV show following the guy around. He doesn't want to deal with Oprah Winfrey and her bullsh!t crews.
He has no issues with the gay thing.
I hate the NFL and barely know who this guy is, but it is clear as day that he isn't against drafting a gay guy.
You replied to me yet the response makes no sense as I was saying basically the exact same thing as you.
Nice trolling. 10/10. 11/10 for making up a word like pedogay!
"He sucks as a player and does not belong on the field,"
That is yet to be proven. In all his undersized, tweener self, he managed to be the SEC co-defensive player of the year. So he's has managed to do something right. Some dudes just don't fit into a clearly defined slot. Maybe he will prove himself or maybe he won't, but to this point in time, he hasn't sucked...at least on the field.
men back to boys wrote:
"He sucks as a player and does not belong on the field,"
That is yet to be proven. In all his undersized, tweener self, he managed to be the SEC co-defensive player of the year. So he's has managed to do something right. Some dudes just don't fit into a clearly defined slot. Maybe he will prove himself or maybe he won't, but to this point in time, he hasn't sucked...at least on the field.
Yeah, you have to be pretty good to stand out in the SEC. I couldn't care less if he makes it in the NFL or not, but ripping on his talent is silly. Also, he likely would have gone in an earlier round had he not come out, so he's not really in the same category of all of the other 7th rounders.
Will he prove to be too undersized or prove to create too much distraction (from media) so that a team doesn't keep him? Time will tell.
Rooting either for or against him based on his preference is ridiculous.
vragragfda wrote:
midwestern roll wrote:I don't think that's the case. Dungy doesn't care that Sam is homosexual. He is acknowledging the fact that people out there DO care and are going to turn everything he does into a media circus that Tony wouldn't want to deal with.
Yes, it is blaming the victim, but I don't find it to be the least bit homophobic. I liken it to if a coach had said that didn't want to draft Manti Teo after all the news about him being catfished right before the draft.
Some coaches can handle distractions better than others. Tony wishes Sam wasn't a distraction, but notes that he is as well as his own shortcomings in handling distractions.
I more or less agree with midwestern roll. An irony is that Dungy is somewhat being proven correct by the overreaction of the media to his comments. It's headline news on all the sports sites. This will be the case all season, if Same makes the team. That's a distraction, and is something that most coaches and GMs would take into consideration when drafting a player.
What about this don't you people understand? It is only an issue because of people like Tony Dungy.
Flagpole wrote:
Rooting either for or against him based on his preference is ridiculous.
Why is it ridiculous to root for him because he's gay? I look forward to the day when someone's sexual preference is not newsworthy, but that day isn't here yet. There are still homosexuals killing themselves every year because they are demeaned or made to think they're worthless. Why is it ridiculous for me to root for a gay football player, in hopes that him succeeding can serve as inspiration for other homosexuals to confidently live their lives in the face of ridicule?