ESPN has raised some eyebrows with a report on the showering habits of openly gay NFL player Michael Sam — and specifically whether his fellow teammates shy from showering with him.
Deadspin first honed in on the report, which aired on SportsCenter.
Reporter Josina Anderson said a player told her that Mr. Sam was “simply just one of the guys and he seems to be taking a rookie approach in terms of just listening and learning at his own pace,” Raw Story reported.
Ms. Anderson then went on: “[The player] said [Sam] was just trying to feel his way through and, perhaps, see what guys he can relate to. But another Rams defensive player told me — quote — ’Sam is respecting our space.’ And from that perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is waiting to kind of take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable.”
She then clarified that she wasn’t able to verify the shower report with two other players, because as they said, “they weren’t tracking that,” Raw Story reported.
“[Defensive tackle Kendall Langford] told me, ’Listen, I have not been in the shower at the same time as Michael Sam.’ He said there definitely could be a million reasons as to why that is,” Ms. Anderson said, in the report. “He said he could be doing extra work on the practice field, he could be riding his bike, he could be doing extra cardio.”
At least one Rams player wasn’t happy about the coverage.
Defensive end Chris Long took to Twitter and wrote: “Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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