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Michael Sam could make historic debut for Alouettes Friday against Redblacks
The CFL could see a historic moment Friday night, as Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette has reported that defensive end Michael Sam may play in the Alouettes' clash against the Ottawa Redblacks. Earlier this year, Sam became the league's first openly-gay player when he signed with Montreal in late May, adding him to the long list of CFL trailblazers, but adjusting to the Canadian game was always going to take him some time, and his decision to leave the team during training camp for personal reasons and miss the preseason games in the process didn't help his case; for a while, it looked like that might be the end of him in the CFL. Sam came back at the end of June, though, and he's been dutifully biding his time on the practice squad and as a healthy scratch ever since. Now, it looks like he might actually get to play. There's still some uncertainty about that, though, as Zurkowsky writes:
Sam, the first openly-gay player drafted by an NFL team, accompanied the Als to Ottawa on this trip, according to numerous sources. According to the same sources, injured defensive-back Jerald Brown isn’t with the team. With both Brown and tailback Tyrell Sutton injured, openings exist for two imports on Montreal’s 44-man roster. One of those spots is expected to be taken by Sam, the 6-foot-2, 260-pound rush-end.
On Thursday, Als head coach Tom Higgins refused to confirm Sam had made the trip, stating more than 44 players accompanied the team to Ottawa. While he wouldn’t admit Brown had remained in Montreal, Higgins said the defender “is a phone call away,” if required. Higgins at least admitted Sutton, suffering from a knee injury, was on the one-game injured list.
The Als aren’t required to declare their 44-man roster until one hour prior to kickoff.
“I do truly appreciate the story, and I understand. If someone were to really look at this … he (Sam) is a young man that we don’t necessarily want to put any more pressure on — or on our team when he lines up to play. Then he’ll have an opportunity to tell you how well he did or whether he was excited to play or not,” Higgins said.
“It’s going to happen. Whether it’s here or (next Thursday at home) against the Edmonton Eskimos or the game after, we’re close. I don’t believe it matters whether it’s here or at home. Maybe there’s some pressure off if it’s an away game,” the coach added.
That's consistent with previous comments Higgins made about Sam playing at some point in August, where the coach said Sam was "getting so much closer to being able to play." The decision to keep his involvement so secret is annoying from a media point of view, but it makes sense from Higgins' point of view; that way, he can not only keep some of the attention and pressure off Sam, but he can appease the veterans who haven't been thrilled about so much media attention being paid to Sam. (It's worth noting that almost all of the comments about Sam from teammates, and certainly all the non-anonymous ones have been very positive; the issue is more the (completely understandable) way the media have reacted to the story rather than the player himself.) Higgins and the Alouettes want to keep this debut muted, especially if it happens on the road, but it's going to be a big deal regardless.
What's interesting, though, is the widespread support for Sam we've seen from CFL players, and especially the support we've seen from opponents. Ottawa quarterback Henry Burris, who may wind up facing Sam Friday night, made some fascinating comments about Sam to Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun Wednesday:
The question put to RedBlacks quarterback Henry Burris after Wednesday's practice was one he's probably never heard before in his career:
How would you react if you found out there was a gay player on your team?
"Who says there isn't?" Burris replied with a laugh, not missing a beat. "The thing is, we don't care. As long as you come and do your job, that's all we care about.
"Shoot, who knows what people do when they leave the stadium? As long as you come to work and you do your job every day, and you help make this team a better team, that's all we care about, that's all we're asked to do and at the end of the day, that's all we're judged on, in our locker room, by the fans, and by the organization.
"For us, there's really no preference. As long as you come to work and do your job, that's all we care about."
That's a long way from some of the things said by NFL players (consider ESPN's report on St. Louis Rams' teammates' comments on his showering habitsincluding Ottawa receiver Maurice Price) made about Sam before he joined the league, but there's evidence to suggest Burris' mindset is becoming more and more common amongst CFL players. There's a growing push for acceptance and tolerance, and perhaps that will lead to more openly gay players soon so Sam doesn't have to bear that burden alone. For now, though, he's the only one, and whether the Alouettes like it or not, that makes it a big deal when he plays for the first time. We'll see if that turns out to be Friday.
Yahoo's Neate Sager will be covering the Alouettes-Redblacks game from Ottawa Friday. Stay tuned to 55-Yard Line for that!
