The Rams’ General Manager Les Snead said he had never before experienced such an emotional draft pick as when he selected the first openly gay NFL player, Michael Sam, to the team on Saturday.
“Man, was he emotional,” Snead said on Sunday, according to Sports Illustrated. “I could feel it over the phone.”
“I could feel the pivot in history at that moment, with that phone call,” he continued.
When the St. Louis team made the pick, Sam began to tear up, and then he turned to his partner for a celebratory kiss.
Snead said he missed Sam’s initial reaction, which aired on ESPN.
“I wish I could have digested it and take it all in,” Snead said. “I’ve never been part of a decision that brought people to tears. But I couldn’t really embrace the moment, because we were so close to the end of the draft, and we had to mute the TV so we could get going on our undrafted free-agent class.”
The team’s chief operating officer, Kevin Demoff, and coach Jeff Fischer combed through the supportive reactions to their draft selection after they made the pick.
“It was a reminder of the power of the NFL,” Demoff said, “and how we could use the power for something good.”
