Michael Sam's Dad went drinking after learning son is gay...‘I’m a man and a woman type of guy’

[kpete]

Michael Sam’s dad: ‘I’m a man and a woman type of guy’
By Zach BrazillerFebruary 12, 2014 | 9:28am

Five days before he told the world he was gay, Michael Sam informed his father of the revelation via text message.

The former University of Missouri football star’s announcement, made through ESPN and the New York Times, went over better with people he didn’t know.

Michael Sam Sr. received the text message: “Dad, I’m gay” Feb. 4 as he was celebrating his birthday at a Denny’s in Dallas. He immediately left the party, the New York Times reported on its website Tuesday.

“I couldn’t eat no more, so I went to Applebee’s to have drinks,” Sam Sr. said. “I don’t want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment.

http://nypost.com/2014/02/12/michael-sams-dad-im-a-man-and-a-woman-type-of-guy/

[randome]

1. A 'womanly' type of guy?

[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 10% chance of rain means the same as a 90% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[Eleanors38]

9. Hmmm. Maybe I'll try that line.

[yeoman6987]

2. Yieks!

First of all Michael should have spoken to his father on the phone. However, the father's conduct is awful especially that line about "I don't want my grandkids raised in that kind of environment". He and his Father need to have a conversation about this ASAP. I know a lot of parents are shocked when they first find out and eventually come around. I am sure that Michael's father will accept him eventually. At least I hope so.

[Brickbat]

3. Here's hoping he sees the way people are embracing his son and can came around.

[snooper2]

4. I wonder what type of advice the bartender gave him

I know what I would have said

[Botany]

5. Michael Sam Sr. is one twisted dude.

Who goes drinking @ Applebee's?

[ieoeja]

26. A Baptist Minister goes drinking @ Applebee's.

Baptists are not supposed to drink. So he can't have his car seen in the parking lot of a bar.

[shenmue]

6. Sad

His father should join the 21st Century.

[Eleanors38]

7. Give it time. This is family bidness.

[el_bryanto]

13. Yep - but thank goodness the New York Post is there to keep us all updated on it. nt

[RockaFowler]

15. That's what I don't get

Why is his father going to the New York Post about this?? Shouldn't he try to support his son by oh I don't know - not saying anything derogatory. Why would he want to hurt his son like this in such a public way?? What kind of parent does that??

[joeybee12]

21. What kind of parent? A shitty one...nt

[bullwinkle428]

23. If Big Daddy wanted to keep "family bidness" private, he could easily have said "no comment".

[LibertyLover]

32. And he wouldn't have mentioned

the whole 'taking a son to Mexico to loose his virginity' thing either.

[Eleanors38]

33. Still, he got drunk and was in the public eye, all in 24 hrs.

While that is my approach regarding family affairs, there is little guarantee with "no comment," 'cept more resporters coming round for another pass. Give him a break. I bet he'll come around.

[closeupready]

8. So you'll eat at a fast food place that underpays its employees,

and poison your body with intoxicating alcohol, and apparently see nothing wrong with that in terms of raising children.

Got it.

[pipi_k]

10. I'm willing

to cut the guy some slack.

He had a knee jerk reaction.

Bam. Totally out of the blue.


Give him some time to come to terms with reality vs. his own misguided and out-of-date belief system.

[joeybee12]

22. Not me...not one fucking bit...

I can see if he was shocked, but his reaction was bigotry..."that kind of environment." Fuck him.

[Paladin]

24. I'm not.

Mr. Sam had 8 children. 3 of them are dead, and 2 of them are in prison. He's drinking for a lot of reasons besides his successful football player son being gay.

[theHandpuppet]

11. Ah yes, from Mr. Father of the Year

The Baptist deacon who took one of his sons to Mexico so he could lose his virginity.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/story/_/id/10439397/father-michael-sam-struggling-news-son-gay
Michael Sam Sr. troubled by news
Updated: February 11, 2014

(Michael Jr. says)
"I endured so much in my past: seeing my older brother killed from a gunshot wound, not knowing that my oldest sister died when she was a baby and I never got the chance to meet her," he said. "My second-oldest brother went missing in 1998, and me and my little sister were the last ones to see him ... my other two brothers have been in and out of jail since eighth grade, currently both in jail."

(Because as we all know, Sam Sr., there's nothing as bad as being gay.)

The Times reported that when Sam returns to his hometown he usually stays with friends instead of his family.

"I'm closer to my friends than I am to my family," Sam told the newspaper....

[closeupready]

14. Most will probably giggle, or frown, but this makes me really angry.

In part, because I see this kind of hypocrisy all the time, and in part because it really is a huge double standard that has a VERY significant impact on my life, where gay people are held to superhigh, superhuman standards, and everyone else is part of the family no matter what - axe-murderers, dogfight kingpins, puppy eaters - whatever it is, it's okay, as long as you aren't gay.

[Rhythm]

16. That was my thought exactly...

On a side-note, though: Junior ~still~ should have had this conversation with his dad in an actual PHONE CALL, or better yet, IN PERSON...
Text-messaging something that important (as equally important as any engagement-announcement, death-in-the-family, got-accepted-to-Harvard moment) is just bad form, IMHO.

[closeupready]

17. Agreed. I will say that some gay people I've known

literally hated one or both of their parents - heck, I've known straight people who did, too. In that light, it would make sense that having built a life on your own resources, you'd not feel it necessary to keep your folks in the loop about something like this. But in general, yes, you'd let them know first before doing it so publicly.

[Iggo]

12. I've seen worse.

He's working through it. Hopefully he'll come out better on the other side.

Hard enough to do it in private, let alone with some gossip columnist up your ass.

[Lex]

18. ‘I’m a man and a woman type of guy’ - does he think HE has to be gay?

That statement is just weird.

[libdem4life]

19. So to show his grandkids the proper way to handle grief or anger, he goes and gets drunk...at

Applebees' where he can cry in his beer and slobber all over everyone there.

Very good move, Michael Sam.

[Blue_Tires]

20. Once the shock passes and dad confronts his own insecurities

he'll come around...

[WillowTree]

25. Geez, people, give the guy a break.

He's sitting in a restaurant having his lunch/dinner/whatever and out of nowhere he gets a TEXT MESSAGE from his son saying "Dad, I'm gay".

Those of you who are also Southern black men who heretofore had no clue that this was the case and had this happen in your life and who calmly said to yourself, "Oh.......I'm so glad." and then went on with your dinner, good for you. I'd venture to say that most men in Mr. Sam's situation would be stunned and would need some time to wrap their hearts and brains around it and might initially react in some semi-irrational way. Take away the "Southern" part and the "black" part and even the "men" part and I daresay that this is not what most folks would consider everyday news. People take time to digest something like this and figure out that it's OK. As I recall, even Cher reacted badly to the news that her daughter was gay initially.

So be intolerant yourself and throw stones if that's what floats yer boat, but I'll be much more interested in how Mr. Sam has adjusted to the knowledge of his son's sexuality a few months down the road.

And gee, maybe his knee might have jerked a little less over this if his son had broached the subject with more tact (and balls) then to send it in a text message, apparently without preparing him for it first. Michael Sam dropped a few points on my class-o-meter for that.

[Bluenorthwest]

28. So race and region excues bigotry in your mind? Here's the deal, you can bet that Drinker

Dad will 'come around' the moment a high dollar contract comes around. Too many of us have seen that out of bigoted families in the past. Get rich and suddenly it's all good.
If you know someone is going to insult you, why not text them the news? On the other hand, if you are so super upset and ashamed, why run to the fucking press to share it with the world as Sr did?
This man let his son live in a car and during much of Jr's high school career he traded chores to friends families for board. A text seems almost too good for the man.

[WillowTree]

29. No. I'm just saying that often a person's knee jerk reaction isn't what he really thinks or feels.

So glad that you've got everything in life figured out and that everything is cut and dried in your mind. Apparently there's nothing that could happen that might throw you for a loop. How very nice for you. Intolerant, but nice. And how consistent that you expect more tolerance in others than you're willing to show to them.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. LOL. maybe he learnt that way cos he is a shitty father??

[JI7]

36. i think his dad is just an asshole and he knows it, he knew the type of reaction

he would get from his dad. based on the other things he said and how he took another son to mexico to lose his virignity he doesn't really seem like the type of parent most kids will look to for support.

[KamaAina]

27. So much for the big house that athletes often buy for their parents

after they sign their first pro contract.

[alp227]

30. Duck Dynasty fan. nt

[Kurovski]

34. 'I’m a man and a woman type of guy’

Isn't that technically known as "bisexual"?

Greedy daddy. "and"

[msanthrope]

35. I hope that one day, the father is worth the notice of the son. nt