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On February 9, 2014, Michael Sam publicly declared he was a homosexual. Customized Orioles Jersey . 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. http://www.oriolesteamshop.com/ . At a press conference after the event, Chan was asked whether he was going to skate in the world championships next month in Japan, where he would be going for a fourth consecutive title. http://www.oriolesteamshop.com/Cal-Ripken-Orioles-Orioles Jersey/ . -- The Washington Redskins have re-signed defensive lineman Chris Baker to a three-year contract with $12 million.OAKLAND, Calif. -- When the Golden State Warriors signed free agent Andre Iguodala this summer, most figured that meant Harrison Barnes would be coming off the bench. Think again. Klay Thompson had 17 points and four rebounds playing his second straight preseason game as a reserve in Golden States 94-81 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, while Barnes started alongside Iguodala again. Thompson finished 8 for 17 from the field in 30 minutes. Barnes missed all four shots he took and had one rebound in 6 minutes before sitting the rest of the game with inflammation in his left foot. Warriors coach Mark Jackson said his starting lineup will shuffle throughout the preseason, which includes two exhibitions in China against the Los Angeles Lakers. He said whatever lineup he uses in the regular-season opener Oct. 30 against Los Angeles will be a set rotation that will not fluctuate depending on matchups. The decision will not be determined by who is the best player. "Its what makes us the best team. Its what completes us as a team," Jackson said. "What units starting, which guy coming off the bench, to me, thats key. "I dont think any team I played on, it wasnt necessarily the best five players starting. Sometimes you needed different things off the bench that completed us as a team. And Ill look at all of those things and make a decision." The call between Barnes and Thompson is the only major one Jackson will have to make before the season. The third-year coach believes choosing between two proven players is a blessing and not a burden. All five starters -- Thompson, Barnes, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Andrew Bogut -- are back from a team that won 47 games last season before beating the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs and losing to the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Iguodala turned down Denvers offer and signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Warriors. While Jackson didnt rule out Iguodala coming off the bench, that scenario seems unlikely given the veterans contract and abilities. What makes the decision difficult is that Thompson and Barnes lack experience in a reserve role. Thompson played 37 games as a reserve during the 2011-12 season, his rookie year. He has started 122 straight games, including the playoffs.http://www.oriolesteamshop.com/JJ-Hardy-Orioles-Orioles Jersey/. Barnes never came off the bench as a rookie last season. Both former first-round draft picks said they have no problem wherever and whenever they play -- so long as they still have a significant role. Thompson even joked with reporters after Mondays morning shootaround that hes "trying to get Sixth Man of the Year." Thompson has clearly been the better of the two so far, though its a small sample size -- and the preseason. Barnes scored 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting, had seven rebounds and three assists in Saturdays 104-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 37 minutes off the bench in that game. He added one rebound. Against Sacramento, Barnes was replaced midway through the first quarter with the Warriors down 16-8. He has been dealing with the nagging foot injury for a few days and will likely sit out at Utah on Tuesday night, Jackson said. Thompson started the second half and highlighted a 14-3 spurt with a breakaway dunk on a pass from Curry that put the Warriors up 58-52 late in the third quarter. "No matter when Klays playing, hes going to be effective," Curry said. Curry scored 23 points and Lee had 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Warriors build a 16-point lead with 4:33 remaining. Iguodala finished with seven points, five steals, three assists and three rebounds in about 32 minutes. Both coaches began putting in fringe players and the only other noteworthy item of the night left was whether new Kings owner Vivek Ranadive would be a winner in his debut, which also came on his 56th birthday. Currys younger brother, former Duke standout Seth Curry, also made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to draw cheers from what remained of the announced crowd of 17,821. Isaiah Thomas had 15 points and six assists and DeMarcus Cousins added nine points and four rebounds as Sacramento fell short. The Kings have had seven straight losing seasons and far more modest expectations in the early stages of their rebuilding. "Our reasonable expectation is to compete, play hard, be unselfish and defend," Malone said. "Im not going to put any amount of wins or numbers on that because that would be unfair to this team." ' ' ' |
