Michael Sam Asked If He Is Enjoying Dancing With The Stars
Michael Sam was interviewed about his football career and being opening gay. He was also asked if he is enjoying Dancing With The Stars. He didn’t answer and instead said he’d rather be playing football. Hmmmm More below from USA Today. Thanks to @DWTSGossip for the heads up.
My heart kind of breaks for him. I think the context of the interview was his football career and I can’t see how it’s wrong for him to say that he’d rather be able to do what his chosen career is. Wouldn’t Kirsti rather have had a tv series than dwts, Candice? Wouldn’t Zendaya rather have been too busy with a movie career already, wouldn’t Ralph rather have been busy with a sustained movie career, Shawn still able to compete at olympic level, Joey still in a popular boy band and on and on and on. I’ll only fault him if he doesn’t embrace the experience and doesn’t treat Peta with respect. So far he seems to be embracing it.
Totally agree, Jess #1. I hope he gets the chance to play in the NFL and still enjoy his time on the show. I have really enjoyed him thus far.
Jess. Exactly! I don’t find fault with him either. He seems like a very nice man. Who wouldn’t rather be doing what they love first.
Can’t fault his honesty. Let’s be real, most celebs on the show don’t have much going on at the moment or have some flexibility/control over their schedules.
You are not going to see active athletes or actors that have a series obligations or who are traveling on tour. Nothing wrong with that but hey he is a football player and that’s what he wants to do. I am sure he is enjoying the experience, but it’s not the NFL.
I would love to see Steph Curry dance but I’d rather see him play ball.
The vast majority of celebrity contestants that sign on for this show do so primarily for some form of self promotion, yet still manage to spare two words of appreciation for the experience and support. This was not a one over the other question nor the first time he’s panned the show this week. The Bloom’s off the rose here for me.
Perhaps he’s one of those celebs who assumed DWTS was easier than it turned out to be. It does bother me when I hear celebs on the show say something negative about it just because there are so many people that really want to be on the show for whatever reason.
I must have missed the negative remarks somewhere …… At least in this interview. He is treating it like a job and that’s okay, but he could have had something positive to say about Peta a least.
I agree that there’s nothing inherently wrong with telling the truth about what he wants to do. However, I don’t think the salary is enough motivation for him to put in the really hard work that’s coming. He’s not here to learn to dance, or for the “journey” (he’s already cracked that nut wide open). He sounded like it’s punching a time clock for him. And I think that’s sad, but that’s how he feels.
Jill L., Oops, I forgot to hit tab and separate my comments. That was just a general statement on my part. My apologies.
I don’t fault him for his response at all. I think if it was mainly about his football career he was probably just speaking to his audience.
Perhaps he’s regretting his decision to do DWTS while also trying to get drafted by the NFL again this year? The football fan in me wishes he dedicated all of his time to his NFL career. I love seeing him on the show, but if he really wants to be in the NFL (and playing football as he said) I think that should have been his focus in this off season.
As skeptical as I initially was about having Michael on the show this season, I do really feel for the guy, because he’s in kind of a unique predicament: he’s attempting to get drafted back into the NFL, while still likely trying to pay the bills, AND he’s contending with his homosexuality still being heavily stigmatized within the NFL. He realizes he’s under a microscope right now, and that everything he does on DWTS is likely under the watchful eye of any potential recruiters. The thing that really sucks about Mike is that he’s going to have to work twice as hard as the average prospect in the draft to prove he’s worthy – he needs to show a killer work ethic, because there are still players, coaches, and owners who “aren’t comfortable” with a homosexual player. Which is kind of ridiculous, when you think about the fact that there are still teams in the NFL that are interested in signing a wife-beater like Ray Rice. The fact that wife beater > gay guy in the NFL is just one of the many ways that the NFL is backwards and misogynistic. But I digress – I think Mike is probably having to mind his p’s and q’s very closely on the show, just because anything he says or does could be used against him in the draft. Enjoy the experience too much? Recruiters don’t think he’s committed to his career. Don’t enjoy the experience enough? Maybe he’s a wet blanket and will be the type to drag down his teammates. There are some that will look for any reason they can not to sign this guy. Mike is probably nervous as hell all the time that he’s gonna make the wrong move and ruin his chances of getting picked up. So I think his response was strategic: it’s better to say you’d rather be playing football and risk upsetting a few DWTS fans than saying he’d rather be on the show and possibly lose out on a career. I don’t fault him in any way.
“The fact that wife beater > gay guy in the NFL is just one of the many ways that the NFL is backwards and misogynistic.”
Im so glad you said that. As a big dog lover, the fact that Michael Vick is still playing makes me sick.
I don’t normally just post +1 – but Courtney you said it all. Not to mention child abusers and murderers.
I wonder how much more he would be enjoying the show and experience if his partner appeared to be making him her priority. I commented in another thread last night about a video of them being interviewed after the show Monday and while he’s answering questions, Peta is talking to someone further down the line about Maks. Unfortunately for Michael that’s where her attention seems to be focused right now. Is Peta traveling with him to the combines? I didn’t see anything about her being on the road with him last weekend and I thought the pros usually travel with their partners?
@Fig & Kelly a – For an organization that can attribute 50% of its viewership to women, the NFL is one of the most backasswards & misogynistic organizations in existence today, IMO. The whole Ray Rice situation just really drove the point home for me – the NFL doesn’t give a rat’s ass whether your beat your wife, beat your kids, or beat defenseless animals, as long as you do it quietly and they can sweep it under the rug with relative ease. And if you do get caught – well, maybe it’s not the end of the world…they might let you back in. I think they had every intent of sweeping the Ray Rice situation under the rug until the elevator surveillance tape leaked – and even after that happened, Bonehead Goodell took his merry little time deciding what to do, and then they rolled out an awkward, too-little-too-late anti-domestic violence campaign after the fact. But oh my god – a grown man sleeping consensually with another grown man, and not keeping it to himself??? FOR SHAME!!! We simply cannot allow transgressions this grave to sully the integrity of this honorable sport!!! While nobody is outwardly saying “We aren’t hiring him because he is gay,” you know there are some that will tie themselves in knots trying to find other excuses not to hire him. Is Mike the next coming of Michael Strahan or Reggie White??? Probably not, but hell – I’ve seen my fair share of mediocre pro players come and go, and they all worked far less harder than Mike. I’d would have traded worthless Trent Richardson for Michael Sam IN A HEARTBEAT, and they don’t even play the same damn position! And as for Vick – all I have to say is that people who don’t have much regard for the well-being of animals, generally don’t have much regard for the well-being of other living things, either. I wouldn’t not be surprised if I saw Vick slapped with a domestic violence or battery charge in the future.
*sigh* The NFL needs more Andrew Luck’s and JJ Watt’s and Michael Sam’s, and fewer Ray Rice’s and Michael Vick’s…and Aaron Hernandez’s…and Adrian Peterson’s…I’m gonna hop down off my soapbox before I get any more riled up. Mike, if you’re reading this – hang in there, dude. You’re on the right side of history…maybe the NFL will catch up one of these days…
Courtney I could not agree more. The NFL has been tarnished IMO and I find that now I am more of a NCAA fan (go Ducks).
Baseball is my #1 sport. I think steroid use is the only thing you hear about ball players as they tend to squeaky clean. Mom and apple pie are what those boys are all about.
Donna, your bias and the reasoning behind it are very transparent. There’s no reason to believe that Peta is neglecting Michael. They clearly have a great relationship as evidenced by the live access feeds and he’s been very complimentary as it relates to Peta’s teaching and the support he gets from her. There was only one combine, and the fact that Michael’s fiance didn’t even make the trip tells you about how quick the turnaround was and how much of Michael’s focus the event required.
I agree with some of the others that Michael is in a tough spot. I realized with his first series of tweets the day of the cast announcement that it was important for him to make it known to the public, and more importantly the football community, that that’s where his allegiance lies. And it’s understandable. What I’ve seen so far (on the show, in interviews, on live access) from him indicates to me at least that he is enjoying the experience and taking it seriously, and I hope that continues to be the case.
I saw Kristyn or someone say that they heard whispers that he has been difficult to work with this week, which was surprising. His performance at the combine may have put a damper on his mood and may be part of the reason for how he came off in this interview. I’m really curious to see how he and Peta do this week, because I feel it will make or break them for the rest of the season.
Courtney, you hit the nail on the head. It couldn’t have been said better. I think he was expecting to perform better at the combine last weekend. Once I saw that his performance was worse than his scouting combine performance, I was initially concerned he’d back out of the show completely. If he felt the show was negatively affecting his chances, I wouldn’t fault him if he did. I have no doubt his disappointment with his performance at the combine has been weighing on him all week. Now that I realize that he’s relying on the show as a source of income, I can see how much of difficult situation he is in. I wish him the best. Hopefully we’ll see him back on the field one day.
#17 Emily I hope you’re not suggesting I’m some kind of shipper? Because anyone who “knows” me on this forum knows that’s about as far from the case as you can get. All I know is that I’ve never seen another pro’s significant other be a topic in their rehearsals and interviews and two weeks into the season Maks has been a topic three different times. That’s without getting into the red room and all the time he spends hanging around the rehearsal studio. Taking all that into consideration I don’t think it’s off the wall to think perhaps Peta’s attention isn’t completely focused on her partner, particularly considering what appears to be Michael’s lukewarm reaction to this experience.
I find Michael to be a nice man and very respectful to Peta and he probably has never hurt anyone or anything like some. He is a hard-worker and I don’t know how he is doing as good on DWTS with doing football practicing and dance rehearsing. What he does in his personal life I feel is non of my business. His main focus is his football future, because if he manages to get into the NFL it will be more permanent, while this show is a temporary job. I wish him the best.
Watch yourself, Emily. You have no standing to be throwing stones here.
I can understand that it’s been a hard week for the guy, but I just don’t like hearing that “someone” whispered somewhere that’s he’s difficult. I can’t form an opinion on gossip. Unless I see it or hear it on my own, I’m a reserving judgment.
Hopefully he will get picked up here or Canada.
Courtney’s comments on the NFL are totally on point. Better a wife beater and dog abuser than an openly gay player? SMH. Michael has trained and worked his whole life for the NFL. And I’ll bet every dollar I have that if he DIDN’T come out like all the others currently playing, he’d be on a pro team roster today. Yes, some say he’s small for his position but there are plenty of smaller guys who make it. Or switch positions. It doesn’t mean he’s not into the show, the interview was done after the veterans combine and he didn’t do well. Surely he was disappointed as anyone of us would be if you thought your dream was possibly over.
As for Peta not giving him her attention, she answered a question during an interview by mouthing answer while Michael was talking. Maybe 4 seconds. Peta has proved herself to me to be a dedicated and competitive teacher and pro. Look at last season with Tommy, she taught him the same routine over every day according to Sharna, Henry etc. I can’t imagine she’s not giving her all to Michael, it’s in her best interest he finishes well too. Both are competitors, maybe they hit a bump in the road but I’m sure they’ll be giving it their all on Monday night.
It kills me that he is having such a hard time getting on a team because from what I have seen he is really good and all because of stupidity nonetheless. I’m not a huge nfl fan but even I have to agree that it needs to get its act together.
He said he would take a position in Canada if offered. I hope it works out for him. If he needs the money now though it might be a good idea to not bite the hand that feeds him, not to mention the voting public can be fickle. If he had a bad week at rehearsals, let’s hope the producers give him a break and not show it.
My initial line was unnecessary, my apologies.
Donna – I said this more above, but based on what I’ve seen from Michael AT Dancing with the Stars, he seems to be enjoying the experience just fine, although of course he would rather be playing football and not dancing. To me, it looked like you were taking one truth (that Maks and Peta are dating) and another half-truth (that he’s not enjoying the show) and implied that A lead to B when I don’t see any evidence of that. The perceived leaps in logic lead me to reason that there must be some other motivation behind your comment, but that didn’t need to be vocalized here. Again, my mistake.
@Rose1 – The voters can, indeed, be fickle, but at the same time – I doubt the bulk of them will even see this interview. As for his rehearsal package – if they give him the Redfoo treatment, I’m sure there will be no issues. Redfoo’s rehearsal package last week was downright tame, despite reports that he and Emma were anything but during rehearsals the previous week. They omitted a rather nasty fight, from what I hear. And luckily for Mike, he doesn’t strike me as the screaming type.
Was RedFoo mean to Emma? It’s hard to imagine her being mean back.
Sorry to derail a bit back to your point, Court – but what bothers me the most about the NFL is not just hypocrisy of its upper management by Goodell and the repulsive examples they set with their allowance of violent crime; I am all for second chances – should those seeking them be earnest in their recognition of the gravity of their misdeeds and committed to not just NOT let it happen again, but speak as an advocate for change.
What bothers me the MOST is that despite these crimes, in spite of the mounting evidence of long-term serious and sometimes fatal health issues – and the fact that the NFL hid what they knew (remember who else did this? Big Tobacco) and the possible tie to the very violence they inflict upon themselves in the game to the crimes they commit off the field – what bothers me most is that the NFL is bigger and stronger and more profitable than ever. The owners are eating and shitting gold, and it just keeps getting richer. I’m a huge Bears fan, and I’m trying to reconcile my desire for a safer product with the entertainment value – or my desire for everyone to have an opportunity at redemption and the absolute coddling tolerance for unacceptable behavior that in any other world would not render them so untouchable.
Oh and then there’s Michael Sam, who likes men, and he’s the pariah? Ugh.
Does anyone know what the Emma/Redfoo fight was about? I could imagine that she might have gotten frustrated that he was fooling around too much and not taking it too seriously, but that is just my guess…
This makes me made sad seeing that everyone else on the show really enjoys being there …..and he pretty much just showed he doesn’t care about any this, or Peta. If he wanted to focus on the NFL why didn’t he just work on that?? After that, I hope he goes home soon with and takes his ungrateful attitude with him. :/
@Marie – For a different perspective, I suggest reading through the comments on this post. The general consensus most of us have is that Mike is just stuck between a rock and a hard place.