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NFL player: ‘Michael Sam was a publicity stunt’

By Josh Haggis

An NFL player has claimed that Michael Sam was used as a pawn by the League in an effort to gain publicity.

Sam found himself at the centre of a media frenzy last year after he became the first ever openly gay man to be drafted into the NFL. Despite making history, he was later dropped by his team and went on to star in the latest season of US show Dancing With The Stars.

Now, while discussing the recent introduction of the NFL’s first ever female referee, Jacksonville Jaguars player Sen’Derrick Marks has claimed that Sam’s drafting was nothing more than a publicity stunt and had nothing to do with his talent.

Sen’Derrick Marks

“Ain’t nothing wrong with it, especially as long as she knows what she’s doing.” he told TMZ. “It’s just like the Michael Sam situation – if he wasn’t gay, he would have gone undrafted.”

“Instead, the league drafts him because I think they are trying to monopolize every aspect of the world..the same thing with a female ref. For the league, it’s great publicity. The NFL is all about monopolizing every opportunity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sam admitted recently that other players in the NFL have come out to him – find out more here.

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