Michael Sam wonders why he went so late in draft

After the initial joy at being drafted by an NFL team wore off, Michael Sam, pro football’s first openly gay player, was left wondering why he wasn’t picked until the seventh round.
While the barrier-breaking player was happy to have a National Football League job with the St. Louis Rams, he couldn’t help wondering if coming out of the closet in college could have damaged his draft stock.
The University of Missouri defensive end was the Southeast Conference’s defensive Player of the Year.
“From last season alone, I should’ve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American,” said Sam, hours after the draft.
The trailblazing athlete stopped just short of accusing teams of overlooking him because of his sexuality.

“You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know,” he said.
“They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what, I feel like I’m a [Jadeveon] Clowney, a first draft pick. I’m proud of where I am now.”
Crying tears of joy, Sam celebrated his selection on Saturday by kissing his boyfriend Vito Cammisano, in an emotional moment captured as ESPN cameras rolled.
While Cammisano’s identity was unknown to most NFL fans before Saturday, followers of Sam on social media would have seen the several pictures they’ve posted of themselves in various, cute romantic poses.
Cammisano is a 2013 Mizzou alum and former member of the Tigers swim team. He had come out of the closet in 2011.
The swimming Tiger tweeted a picture of he and Sam kissing with smashed cake and frosting between their lips.
“Wow. What a day. On cloud 9. So proud and happy,” Cammisano tweeted. “We are staying home! Could not be more proud of my babe!”

Even if Sam wasn’t an initial hit with NFL talent evaluators, fans have immediately embraced him.
Sam’s supporters went into jersey-buying frenzy, with his No. 10 Rams uniform flying off virtual shelves.
The LGBT sports Website, Outsports.com, predicted that 25,000 “Sam’” Rams jerseys, with No. 10 on it, would be sold within a week.
Demand for Sam’s jersey has been “ridiculous,” an NFL merchandising source told CBS Sports.
While Sam’s selection was nearly universally embraced, at least one player — Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones — did not approve.
After Sam was picked, Jones tweeted “OMG” and “horrible.” The tweets since have been deleted.
“I was made aware of it and I was disappointed in those comments,” said Miami GM Dennis Hickey, adding that the team will “sit down with Don Jones and address [the comments] and handle it appropriately.”
“That’s not what we stand for as an organization. The draft weekend is a culmination for so many players, their lifetime achievement of their dream to achieve a goal for Michael Sam and all the other players.
“It’s a celebration. I think it’s a great thing for the league.”