After Joining “Dancing with the Stars”, is Michael Sam Done Pursuing an NFL Career?
As much as they can be for a 25-year-old player who is unemployed and has never played in an NFL game, things seemed to be looking up for former Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam. There were rumors that Sam, who became the first openly gay player to be on an NFL roster last summer, had a chance of signing with the Arizona Cardinals following the NFL’s inaugural veteran combine next month, and he’d seemingly committed himself fully to training for a possible opportunity in 2015.
Things changed on Monday, however, as it was announced that Sam will take part in the 20th season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, which begins on March 23. That’s one day after the veteran combine, which Sam had previously expressed interest in participating in. The decision to participate in Dancing with the Stars starkly contrasts with the things Sam said in a first-person article that was featured on Peter King’s “Monday Morning QB” blog last week:
"Over the last few months I’ve been approached by networks about participating in pregame shows or being a guest analyst, especially towards the end of the college football season. I’ve even been asked point blank why I don’t quit football to explore other career opportunities.I tell them the same thing every time: I’ll give up the game when my legs are both broken.I’m a football player and I will keep fighting for my dream to play in the NFL."
It’s going to be very difficult for Sam to convince an NFL team to sign him now that he’s decided to delve into the reality TV world. In addition to the attention-seeking vibe that the move gives off, there’s the element of Sam having to devote his time to training for the show, appearing on the biweekly live broadcasts from Los Angeles, and doing any press that his presence on the show may necessitate.
More from Missouri Tigers
- Missouri Tigers’ Damarea Crockett named to Maxwell Award watch list
- Missouri Tigers’ Marcell Frazier named to Bednarik Award watch list
- Key takeaways from Missouri Tigers’ first preseason depth chart
- Missouri Tigers’ Tanner Houck selected in first round of 2017 MLB Draft
- Texas transfer Jordan Elliott reportedly commits to Missouri Tigers
Other active NFL players have participated on the show in years past, but the ones who have—including Jacoby Jones, Donald Driver, Hines Ward, Chad Ochocinco, and Jason Taylor—have been well-established veterans who had a considerably greater amount of leeway with their organizations than, say, a newly-signed player with no regular season games under his belt, would.
The series has generally lasted a little bit more than three months in recent years (for reference, last spring’s edition of the show lasted from March 17 to May 20). That means if Sam advances to the final weeks of the show, he’ll miss out on a good chunk of his team’s offseason strength and conditioning program. This would be a mortal sin for a player on the back end of a roster, like Sam would be.
The move to join DWTS sounds like one that was orchestrated by Sam’s publicist Howard Bragman and agents Cameron Weiss and Joe Barkett. The trio, who initially coordinated the media coverage of Sam’s public coming out, were criticized last summer when they pulled a similar off-the-field move, cutting a deal for Sam to star in a reality show documenting his NFL journey on the Oprah Winfrey Network. All three were to act as producers for the series.
More from Arch Authority
- St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk to begin Double-A rehab stint
- John Brebbia deserves a shot as the St. Louis Cardinals’ closer
- St. Louis Cardinals place Randal Grichuk on DL, recall José Martínez
- St. Louis Cardinals release RHP Corey Baker from organization
- St. Louis Cardinals activate Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrist from DL, option Luke Weaver and Alex Mejia to Triple-A
After the announcement was met with outrage from some fans and uneasiness from the Rams, the show was postponed indefinitely and later repurposed as a one-off documentary and sit-down interview with Winfrey which aired in December, after Sam had been released by both the Rams and Cowboys.
In fairness, maybe it’s time for Sam and his management team to try to profit in whatever way they can from his celebrity status. Most players in his situation who had ended the year on a practice squad or as a free agent were signed to reserve/futures contracts in January. At this stage of the offseason, it’s more likely that a young veteran like Sam is going to get cut from an NFL roster than it is that he’s going to get signed to one, considering that the league will be welcoming a new crop of over 500 drafted and undrafted rookies in May and will have to adjust 90-man rosters to accommodate those players.
Honestly, it’s a travesty that Sam is not already on an NFL roster at this point; his college production and strong performance during the preseason and training camp should have been enough to earn him one of the 2,880 available spots in a league where players like Rams defensive lineman Doug Worthington, a 27-year-old with three NFL tackles and a DUI to his credit, have jobs. Perhaps Sam has realized that he’s going to have an incredibly difficult time removing the paranoia that surrounds his status as an openly gay player in the NFL. It’s unfortunate that Sam seems to be conceding defeat in his pursuit of an NFL career, but it’s difficult to take issue with him jumping on a money-making opportunity while it’s there for him with his odds of playing in the NFL looking ever-slimmer.