Jersey of first out draftee a big seller, NFL pockets the change

The NFL will not follow the lead of the NBA when it comes to the proceeds from sales of openly gay defensive lineman Michael Sam’s jersey on the league’s official website.

Sam, who was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the 249th overall pick in the final round of the NFL Draft on Saturday, had the second-highest selling jersey on draft weekend — ranking only behind heavily hyped, first-round quarterback Johnny Manziel of the Cleveland Browns.

When openly gay basketball center Jason Collins signed with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this year, the NBA announced that proceeds from the sales of his jersey would be donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Collins, a 12-year NBA veteran, revealed his sexual preference when he was free agent before the start of the 2013-14 season.

An NFL spokeswoman on Monday said no such arrangement is in place for Sam’s NFL jersey.

“There are no plans to do this as we don’t for any other individual player,” NFL corporate communications director Joanna Hunter said in an email.

Sam’s jersey was listed on NFLShop.com, the league’s official online store, with the number 10 as a placeholder — reportedly based on the fact that he was the Rams’ 10th selection. But Hunter confirmed that orders of Sam’s jersey — as is the case with all the draftees’ jerseys listed on the site — will not be shipped for two to four weeks, after the player’s number has been officially assigned by the NFL League Office.

There was speculation all week about Sam’s draft prospects, with scouts giving Sam — the SEC’s co-defensive player of the year from the University of Missouri — about a 50-50 shot at being selected. In the end, the Rams did not shy away from the choice and head coach Jeff Fisher specifically addressed the historic selection.

“We’re in an age of diversity,” Fisher said during a post-draft press conference. “The players understand that. They know that. I think the University of Missouri should be commended on how they handled that thing. It’s not a distraction. People try to make it a distraction, but it’s not a distraction. I’m personally proud of him for coming out. I’m sure it was a very difficult thing for him to do, and I would also submit that it was probably a tremendous load off his shoulders. The truth is out there and he was accepted by so many people.”

Not all reactions were quite so positive, though. Miami Dolphins safety Don Jones was suspended and fined an undisclosed amount by the team on Sunday after tweeting what his coach Joe Philbin called “inappropriate and unacceptable” comments when TV cameras showed Sam kissing his boyfriend after getting the news of his selection.

Jones, who was drafted with the 250th overall pick — one later than Sam’s 249th spot — a year earlier, initially tweeted, “omg,” and, when asked by another Twitter user whether he was referring to Sam’s kiss, replied, “Horrible.”

Jones, who has since apologized and deleted the tweets, will not be allowed to return to the team until he completes “educational training.”

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