Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, And Michael Sam Respond To Tampa Tribune Quotes

Jul 22, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam (96) runs through drills at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Assuming you having been on a media hiatus for the last couple of days, you have undoubtedly heard the raging debate surrounding the comments made by Tony Dungy on the drafting of Michael Sam into the National Football League. Yesterday, several of the “most important” names involved in the story responded, including Tony Dungy himself, via press release to  ProFootballTalk,

"“I was not asked whether or not Michael Sam deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL.  He absolutely does.I was not asked whether his sexual orientation should play a part in the evaluation process.  It should not.I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team.  I would not……I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization.I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction.  Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field.My sincere hope is that we will be able to focus on his play and not on his sexual orientation.” – Tony Dungy"

On Monday, Michael Sam was asked by the media to respond to the Tampa Tribune quotes. At that time, Sam wisely answered with, “No comment.” However, after practice on Tuesday, Sam was made available to the media, where he gave a stunningly mature response,

"“Thank God he wasn’t the St. Louis Rams’ coach. I have a lot of respect for Coach Dungy and like everyone in America, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.” – Michael Sam"

So, how about the coach that was willing to deal with “things not going smoothly”? St. Louis Rams head coach, Jeff Fisher, was asked to respond to the comments by Tony Dungy, among others, that Michael Sam will be a distraction. Here is his response,

"“Let’s define distraction. There were a couple extra cameras during the early OTAs, there may have been an extra camera yesterday as the rookies reported and went on the field for the first time, but no, it’s not… We want to give Michael every opportunity, like I said over and over, to make this football team.” -Jeff Fisher"

It appears as though the “drama” surrounding Michael Sam has managed to ruffle everyone’s feathers except for where it matters most; in Rams Park. Lucky for all of us, the rest of the Rams roster will arrive at camp tomorrow, and all of this will likely fade into the background, where is belong. Hello, football… we missed you!