assment with racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments. Incognito

Michael Sam will face a daunting set of challenges that most rookies dont have to deal with when making the already formidable jump from college to the NFL. The SECs co-defensive player of the year is about to find out if Americas most popular sport, rooted in machismo and entrenched in locker room hijinks, is ready for its first openly gay player. First, hell have to find a team willing to put up with the media circus that will surround him. Then, hell have to find acceptance like he did at Missouri, where his sexuality was a non-issue during a 12-2 season. Only now, hell face opponents and their fans who know hes gay. He might even face cheap shots and teammates hesitant to shower alongside him or undress in his presence. While several teams and coaches said Monday that Sams sexual orientation wouldnt affect his draft status, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who contends his championing of gay rights led to his release from the Minnesota Vikings last year, wasnt so sure. "The majority of players will be supportive of Michael Sam or just wont care," Kluwe said. "Youll have isolated guys here and there who might try to make a fuss about it, but players by and large are very much, Hey, were here to do a job, were here to go out and play football. "In terms of the coaching/front office side, I think theres where issues are going to arise because they are going to look at this like, Hey, is this going to cause a distraction for the team? And by distraction, they mean, Were not really OK with having a gay player on our team, we cant come out and say that, so were going to use the word distraction," Kluwe added. "And unfortunately, those are the people who determine if youre employed or not." John Elway has a unique perspective running the Broncos front office now after a Hall of Fame playing career, and he said Monday hed have no problem drafting Sam. "We will evaluate Michael just like any other draft prospect: on the basis of his ability, character and NFL potential. His announcement will have no effect on how we see him as a football player," Elway said. "Having spent 16 years in an NFL locker room, the bottom line is that its about treating others with respect and earning that respect. By all indications, it appears Michael has done just that throughout his football career." Several coaches said if a player is accountable and a winner, being gay is a non-issue. "If anybody can come in and help us win games and be successful -- black, white, yellow, straight, gay -- I dont think it matters," said new Green Bay quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Before Sam revealed his sexual orientation, the pass-rusher was projected as a mid-round draft pick. Kluwe said reports that Sams draft stock could drop because he revealed his sexual orientation "basically could have been lifted from any American sporting paper in the 1940s when Jackie Robinson was about to enter Major League Baseball. Its like weve been here before. Why do we have to keep doing the same thing?" Sam will likely face even more scrutiny from opponents fans than Chargers linebacker Manti Teo did after getting fooled by a hoax involving a fake girlfriend while at Notre Dame. What will help Sam is landing on a team with strong veteran leadership, something that was lacking in Miami, where tackle Jonathan Martin walked away at midseason, alleging guard Richie Incognito led daily harassment with racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments. Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and Martins career was thrown in limbo. Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said Sams performance on the field and as a teammate should quickly overshadow any stereotypes about sexual orientation. "I dont think he faces any challenges as a player. I dont think he faces a lot of challenges as a person," Cooley said. "I think once he establishes himself as the kind of teammate hes going to be, I think everybody will accept it fine." Eagles All-Pro guard Evan Mathis said Sam will face obstacles no matter what. "NFL players shouldnt judge Michael Sam based on his sexuality but some guys will. MLB players shouldnt have judged Jackie Robinson based on his skin colour but some did," Mathis said. "Whether or not the NFL is ready for it, it needs to happen. There are still people on this Earth who lived through the prohibition of alcohol and the Civil Rights movement. They can look back and reflect on how primitive those times were. "Current generations will look back at marijuana prohibition and gays having to fight for equal rights and think how primitive those times were." Trayvon Mullen Jersey . Cavaliers shooting guard Craig Ehlo makes a solid play on the ball, but still Jordan hits the amazing shot. Ronnie Lott Youth Jersey .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elit...Raiders-Jersey/. The 24-year-old Raley was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA for Chicago in his first two career starts after being called up from Iowa on Aug. 7. He was optioned to Iowa on Monday after losing 3-0 to Cincinnati in Chicago on Sunday. Jim Plunkett Jersey .Chanathip Songkrasin opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Kroekrit found the target twice in the 57th and four minutes from fulltime.Vietnam and Malaysia play their second leg on Thursday. Vietnam won the first leg 2-1. Custom Oakland Raiders Jerseys . Some teams got significantly better, some teams divested themselves of talent and some teams had quiet afternoons, keeping the status quo.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson needed an impressive victory over an unheralded Rustam Khabilov to keep his name relevant in the 155-pound title picture, and he delivered, submitting the gritty challenger in the fourth round. The bout served as the headlining matchup of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov" event, which took place at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, N.M. Khabilov (17-2) was impressive to start the fight, utilizing powerful strikes and impressive grappling to rattle Henderson (21-3) in the early going. But as the bout wore on, the former champion gained steam and the Russian began to slow. In the fourth round, southpaw Henderson clipped Khabilov with a tricky lead uppercut-left cross combination that sent his opponent toppling to the canvas. Henderson immediately jumped on his opponents back and locked in a rear-naked choke. Trapped, Khabilov had no choice but to tap out 76 seconds into the frame. "Anybody who wants to fight for the belt, come see me," Henderson said after the win. In the nights co-feature hometown lightweight Diego Sanchez (25-7) delivered a typical crowd-pleasing performance, moving forward from start to finish and looking to brawl with British slugger Ross Pearson (15-7). And while it appeared he had come up short at the end of the three-round affair, judges awarded Sanchez a controversial split-decision win. The three-round matchup was a contrast in styles, as Pearson looked to remain technical and move in and out of range. Meanwhile, Sanchez looked to punch, kkick and wrestle his way to victory any way possible.dddddddddddd As Pearsons strikes started to add up, blood trickled down Sanchezs face. It was an entertaining scrap, but one that Pearson appeared to have won. Two of three judges saw it differently, much to Pearsons dismay. UFC president Dana White, who watched the fights on TV from his home in Maine, called the fight a "robbery." "What can I say?" Pearson asked after the surprising result. "Im confident that I won every round. I didnt get hit once. I guess its my fault for leaving it in the hands of the judges." In a key flyweight matchup, top contender John Dodson (16-6) made his claim for a second crack at the promotions 125-pound belt with a scintillating win over John Moraga (14-3). While the pace was moderate for much of the match, Dodson exploded when the opportunity presented itself, eventually rattling off a series of punches punctuated with a knee that broke Moragas nose. While Moraga made it to the end of the second round, the attending doctor waved off the fight before the third round began. "I really wanted to go to that third round, so Im a little disappointed," Dodson said. "I feel like we cheated the fans out of another five hard minutes. I was landing my shots very well, and it seemed like a caught him with everything I threw." Current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson puts his belt on the line against Russian slugger Ali Bagautinov at next weeks UFC 174 event in Vanco