Michael Sam was in tears when he took the call telling him he had been picked in the 7th round of the NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams. Overcome with emotion, his boyfriend tried to comfort him as he let all the emotions bottled up for three days go.
Then, he gave his lover a peck on the lips. And then two more little pecks.
And Twitter exploded. Miami safety Don Jones tweeted “horrible” after the fact. Ownership did not take kindly to it:
A negative one-word tweet from Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones after the selection of Michael Sam in the NFL Draft drew a rebuke from the team.
Shortly after the St. Louis Rams selected Sam in the seventh round Saturday, Jones tweeted, ”Horrible.” The tweet was taken down a short time later.
[…]
”I was disappointed in those comments,” Hickey said. ”That’s not what we stand for as an organization. The draft weekend is the culmination for so many players of their lifetime achievement of their dream to achieve their goal. For Michael Sam, for all the other players, it’s such a great celebration as they begin their future.
”We’re going to sit down with Don Jones and address (the tweet)
Other negative reaction was a lot nastier:
chris phillips @bengie241
FollowI did not wanna see Michael Sam kiss his boyfriend like the freak
6:58 PM – 10 May 2014Was happy to see Michael Sam get drafted but they didn’t have to show him and his bf kissing
@espn y’all really showed this fag kissing his boyfriend on live tv -michael Sam
— Jody (@ihateYujody) May 10, 2014
Supreme Magnetic XL @MrGoldPackXL
Follow@wingoz #Michael Sam ain’t have to kiss his faggot boyfriend on camera I have a small strong black son I can’t expose him to that fag
7:32 PM – 10 May 2014
The ESPN video clip doesn’t even show the kisses. No doubt the Disney company doesn’t need the headaches.
It’s not like Sam and his boyfriend locked lips and swapped spit. They were little pecks for God’s sake. Half the country goes bananas because of a same-sex peck on live TV? Sheesh.
As for his emotional outburst, here was a kid on pins and nails for 72 hours waiting for a call telling him his lifelong dream — something he had put countless hours in on the practice field, the weight room, and on Saturdays for four years — had come true. We’ve seen it countless times as straight men got the same call and broke down, kissing their girlfriends or wives. And yet so many of us lose it when a guy that no one suspected was gay until he came out exchanges a love smack with his significant other.
I’m sure there will be many in the comments who will express outrage at the kiss, and probably at me for not caring a whit what Mr. Sam does with whomever he wishes to do it with. I found nothing disgusting about it, nothing remotely sexual. I also don’t see anything that would harm children in viewing a same-sex kiss — except perhaps it might elicit some questions that nervous parents might not be prepared to answer.
Save your outrage for something serious — like an incompetent president — and leave Michael Sam and his boyfriend alone.
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