Rams coach Jeff Fisher is scoffing at a report that he drafted Michael Sam, the NFL’s first openly gay player, two years ago in a quid pro quo with the NFL to keep his team off Hard Knocks.
Asked about the report this morning on Mike & Mike, Fisher said there was never any such discussion with the NFL, and the Rams selected Sam solely because he was the highest-ranked player on their draft board at the time the pick came up.
“That in itself is absolutely absurd, it’s 100 percent incorrect,” Fisher said. “I was really taken aback by those comments. It’s insulting, from my standpoint, as it relates to Michael. We had three seventh-round picks. When we drafted Michael he was the best player on the board. Who in their right mind would think that you give up a draft choice to avoid doing something like that?”
Fisher said he thinks Sam has been subjected to unfair scrutiny that most seventh-round picks fighting for a roster spot don’t have to face.
“It’s really unfair to Michael. Michael worked so hard,” Fisher said. “It’s really not fair to Michael because of all the hard work he put in.”
The Rams have agreed to do Hard Knocks this year as they move to Los Angeles, and Fisher said he’s looking forward to it.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our franchise,” Fisher said. “This is a historic move. The moves in the past have not been documented and I think it’s a great opportunity.”
If the Rams want a lot of attention for this year’s Hard Knocks, perhaps they should re-sign Sam.