NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith has urged teams to judge Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam on his ability alone when deciding their picks for the upcoming Draft.
Sam is forecast as a mid-round pick in May's Draft, and he would become the first openly gay player in NFL history if he is chosen, having publicly come out earlier this week.
His announcement raised concerns over whether teams may be put off choosing him due to the reaction in the locker room, but Smith is hopeful that non-footballing matters will not play a part.
"All I can hope is that that's not the case. This is a rare, select group of athletes who can perform and play at the highest of levels," Smith told CSN Washington.
"I think that any team or general manager that would be short-sighted enough to not have one of the best players on their team because of some personal bias is not only short-changing the teammates on that team but giving into the dark, horrible prejudices that we all expect that people no longer have.
"I'm not Pollyanna about it, certainly, but my hope would be that in the same way that every player is graded by what he can accomplish on the field, that would be exactly the same standard that you'd want to apply to every player."
Smith also slammed the "gutless" group of anonymous NFL general managers who said that Sam's announcement will harm his Draft prospects.
Barney Corkhill
