Cable sports network ESPN on Wednesday
apologized for airing a report on the showering habits of Michael
Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player.
During a SportsCenter segment,
Josina Anderson reported from the St. Louis Rams training camp, where
she had spoken to multiple players about how Sam was fitting in with
the team.
“Defensive tackle Kendall Langford
said Michael Sam is simply just one of the guys and he seems to be
taking a rookie approach in terms of just listening and learning at
his own pace,” Anderson
said. “But another Rams defensive player told me that 'Sam is
respecting our space' and that from his perspective he seems to think
that Michael Sam is waiting to kind of take a shower, as not to make
his teammates feel uncomfortable. While Langford and linebacker Alec
Ogletree told me that they didn't know that specifically and also
weren't tracking that.”
The report was widely criticized on
social media.
“Dear ESPN: Everyone but you is over
it,” Rams defensive end Chris Long tweeted.
ESPN apologized for the segment in a
statement, The
Washington Post reported.
“ESPN regrets the manner in which we
presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to
meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in
sports,” the network said.