In the wake of All-American football player Michael Sam’s coming out, the initial question among sports analysts was whether an NFL locker room was ready for a gay player. However, Nation sports editor Dave Zirin claims that it is not players but executives who are unready. Speaking alongside former NFL player and openly gay activist Wade Davis on MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, Zirin accused NFL executives of antediluvian cowardice in their reactions to Sam’s revelation. “They sound like scared children when they talk about the prospect of drafting a player of the character of Michael Sam,” claimed Zirin.
—Dustin Christensen