Michael Sam's decision to be part of an Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) series about his life has been met with mixed reaction, including some overwrought analysts crying "distraction" because there's nothing else to talk about.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wondered if the Rams regretted drafting Sam just because of the series, and claimed that the NFL knew about the series while the Rams did not before the draft. The league came out strongly to deny that Friday.
"No way," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told NFL Media's Albert Breer when asked if the NFL was aware of the series. "Did not know anything about it until after the draft and have not agreed to anything about it."
As the show's producers have pointed out, they don't have the rights to many NFL images. Their publicly stated plan: They would track Sam off the field and away from the Rams facility only.
The focus on Sam's series feels like much ado about nothing. The P.R. backlash should be short-lived. The biggest risk for Sam is whether it rubs some coaches or teammates the wrong way.
UPDATE: Sam's agent and OWN announced Friday that "The Untitled Michael Sam Project" has been postponed.
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