In an attempt to garner ratings and mainstream media attention, the WWE announced on last nights edition of Raw that they had officially invited NFL linebacker Michael Sam to next weeks event. Michael Sam recently made headlines when he became the first openly gay football player to be drafted to an National Football League team. The St. Louis Rams picked up Sam in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. The pick was a great move for the Rams and the League as a whole, as the acquisition of Michael Sam led to a great deal of mainstream press, as well as support from the LGBT community. However, since the NFL Draft, Sam has reportedly struggled. The 62, 260-plus pound athlete formerly played as a defensive end in college, but was moved to an outside linebacker position after joining the Rams. On August 30th, the decision was made to cut Sam from the team. Now, the WWE has reached out to Michael Sam about making an appearance on the September 8th edition of Monday Night Raw. Furthermore, the company has offered Sam an open microphone to share his feelings on being released from the St. Louis Rams. Following the above video package, John Bradshaw Layfield expressed his disgust at the Rams decision and the apparent lack of interest in Michael Sam -- who is currently a free agent in the NFL. JBL stated, I cannot understand why he is not somewhere in the NFL, at least on a practice squad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsEg2p78oBI It seems obvious that WWE made the announcement and invitation as a way to garner some added attention from mainstream and sports news outlets. Furthermore, the company likely feels that they may be able to draw some viewers away from the NFLs Monday Night Football doubleheader next week, regardless of whether Sam accepts the invitation or not. So far, there has been no comment from Michael Sam or any sort of representative for the NFL free agent. Its unknown at this time if he will appear on Raw, or if he will even acknowledge the invitation. Hopefully, there will be some sort of official word in the coming days. Until then, let us know your thoughts on Michael Sams release from the St. Louis Rams and WWEs attempt to capitalize on the situation by leaving a comment below.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
