07-09-2019, 12:36 AM
On February 9, 2014, Michael Sam publicly declared he was a homosexual. The Missouri Tigers Defensive End and SEC Defensive player of the year is eligible for the upcoming NFL draft in May. The watershed announcement gives rise to a bit of a legal minefield and the league and teams will look to ensure that no lines are crossed. Lets break it down. Does the NFL have any rules any place protecting homosexuals from discrimination? They do have protection for homosexual players, although it wont apply unless Sam gets drafted. Article 49 of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement provides that you cant discriminate against a player on the basis of "race, religion, national origin" or "sexual orientation". The reference to "sexual orientation" is brand new in the CBA, and the other 3 major sports also have a similar provision. Heres the catch: the CBA wont apply to Sam if hes not drafted. While the CBA provides that it covers all "present and future" players, it still restricts that player pool to drafted rookies or undrafted players who are negotiating with a team. If undrafted, Sam wouldnt qualify as either type of player. So that means if Sam goes undrafted, the NFL CBA wont apply to him. Is that it? Is there nothing else protecting a player like Sam? There is, but its not perfect. Theres no federal law prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation. The existence of such a law would be ideal for Sam since it wouldnt matter where he would end playing since a federal law covers the entire country. There are laws at the state level, although not every state has them. In all, 21 states have laws on the books that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the context of private employers. So that shakes out to 27 of the 32 NFL teams being the subject of gay employment protection laws. So which teams are in states where there arent state or other local laws protecting gay people? The five teams are as follows: Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans. Heres the big question: if Michael Sam is not drafted, can he sue and win? Indeed, that is the big question. Sam is projected to be a mid to late round pick. In order to be successful in a lawsuit against the league he will need to show that he was not drafted because he is a homosexual. That can be tough in the context of a draft – even if it is true. We have seen the draft stock of players inexplicably drop in all the sports. We routinely see players drafted a lot later (or earlier) than projected. Apart from the top prospects, drafts can be highly unpredictable. Indeed, drafts are complicated beasts and it can be hard to show that a player wasnt drafted simply because he is gay. To have a shot at winning a lawsuit, Sam would need strong evidence supporting his case. He would be looking for things like incriminating statements or emails that provide that a team conspired not to draft Sam because of his sexuality. That may not be easy to find. Teams may pass on Sam because he is gay, but just never say it. Ultimately, Sam would need a smoking gun, and absent that he would have a tough time winning a lawsuit. Do you think teams will take a pass on Sam because hes gay? Reason would suggest that some teams may shy away from Sam because he is gay. From a philosophical standpoint, some executives may not be comfortable with the idea of a gay player. Other teams may not have an issue with his sexuality, but may still take a pass because they fear he will become a distraction. Indeed, we have already heard anonymous executives express this sentiment. While some may believe he could become a distraction, and by extension adversely affect his team, it seems unlikely to be the case. The NFL is filled with real and legitimate distractions: DUIs, domestic violence, vehicular manslaughter, murder and whatever Dez Bryant did last Sunday. None of these events have led to the downfall of a team or the demise of the league. And most certainly something as innocuous and irrelevant as a players sexuality wont become a problem. Swell Drinkfles . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. Swell Fles Kopen . Jagr had a goal and two assists, Andy Greene scored 43 seconds into overtime and Marek Zidlicky had two goals as the Devils rallied past the Washington Capitals 5-4 Saturday night. http://www.swellbottlenederland.com/hydr...rland.html. The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. Swell Bottle Nederland .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub. Hydro Flask Kopen . The goals took Liverpools tally in the Premier League this season to 70, overtaking Manchester City as the top scorers, and left the fourth-place team just four points behind league leader Chelsea.MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Grizzlies ratcheted up their defence to avoid a back-to-back sweep by the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. And, in the meantime, Memphis kept its spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Mike Conley scored 21 points, Zach Randolph added 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Grizzlies held the Indiana Pacers to their lowest output of the season in an 82-71 victory on Saturday night. Several Grizzlies players said it may have been their most complete game of the season. The victory came after Memphis lost 91-86 at Miami on Friday night. "It started from the defensive intensity, and it was consistent," Conley said. "On offence, we moved the ball well. We were efficient with it, but defensively, we really locked down and communicated." Mike Miller added 13 points as Memphis moved a game ahead of Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Marc Gasol, returning after spraining his ankle Friday night, had 10 points and nine rebounds. Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 15 points and eight rebounds, while David West added 10 points, but was 5 of 15 from the field. Paul George, the Pacers leading scorer at 22.1 points per game, was held to eight points, missing eight of his 10 shots, and Indiana shot 37 per cent for the game. "We couldnt score at all," said Pacers centre Roy Hibbert, who was in foul trouble and ended the night with four points and no rebounds. "Thats the basic thing. I think we had a lot of contested 2s. Guys were trying, and they were playing hard, but for some reason, something was a little off." Indiana, which allows a league-low 35.4 points per game in the paint, surrendered 46 to Memphis, which also outrebounded Indiana 47-35. The Pacers only lead in the game came at 3-2. Gasol, who was treated for a Grade 1 left ankle sprain sustained in Fridays loss to the Heat, was a game-time decision. He was on medication and didnt warm up before the game. "I wanted to save every step I was going to take for the game," said Gasol, adding that the medication made it where he could barely feel his hands or face. "It definitely helped the purpose, and made it worth it because we won the game.dddddddddddd" Memphis, which built a double-digit lead in the first half, maintained the advantage through the third period as the Pacers seemed to be dragging. Through three periods, Indiana was still under 37 per cent, and George had been limited to only seven shots and six points. "Its the offensive end where we didnt play well," George said. "We didnt get into a rhythm. . If you hold a team to 82 points, you are playing pretty good defence." Memphis continued to maintain the double-digit lead, keeping the Pacers down 10 to 14 points through most of the fourth. "We were a little bit too indecisive and hesitant with the basketball," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "We had poor shooting nights from a number of guys." As was expected with two of the best defensive teams in the league, the first half was a low scoring affair despite Memphis shooting 46 per cent. The Pacers were at 32 per cent. That helped Memphis carry a 43-30 lead into the break as Miller connected on four of his first five shots in the second period, all of them from outside the arc, for all of his 13 points in the game. "If you take away Mike Millers 3s in the first half, this is a college score in terms of the game." West said. But the Grizzlies said the performance was important after a Miami game they thought they could have won. They also mentioned that it was an important confidence-builder for the stretch run. "We were in attack mode most of the night on both offence and defence," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "That is as complete of a win as we have had all season." NOTES: Pacers C Andrew Bynum remained inactive for the fourth game with swelling and soreness in his right knee. ...The previous low for points in a game for Indiana was 73 against Dallas on Feb. 12. ... Indianas three-game win streak against the Grizzlies was snapped. .Memphis has won nine straight at home. .The Pacers lost for only the second time this season when holding an opponent under 90 points. They were 26-1 entering the game. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '