If he wasn’t gay you probably wouldn’t know who Michael Sam even was. In fact, being gay is, at this moment in time, one of his most celebrated accomplishment in life. Some even believe that being gay is the only reason he was even drafted in this year’s NFL draft; making him the first openly gay player in NFL history.

Here’s the problem, despite any other accomplishments in his life – including being co-defensive player of the year – Michael Sam is known for being gay. NFL scouts say he is an average player that may not do well in the NFL. But that doesn’t matter because he is gay so we have to draft him to make sure the NFL avoids a major PR nightmare.

This is the duplicitous end result of the effort to make homosexuals a special class of people.

Another freedom crushing result is that anyone who dares to speak against such behavior is immediately punished and compelled to apologize.

The Miami Dolphins made safety Don Jones issue a public apology after he tweeted “omg” and “horrible” after Sam was shown kissing his boyfriend on live television. Jones was fined, excused from team activities and subsequently suspended until he completes “sensitivity training.” Jones was forced to apologize publicly where he made this statement:

“I am committed to represent the values of the Miami Dolphins organization, and appreciate the opportunity I have been given to do so going forward.”

There’s not a shred of honesty or sincerity in this statement. This was a compelled statement that someone wrote for Jones and made him say in order to appease the media gods that circle like hungry sharks when someone actually does speak his mind. If you want honesty and sincerity read Jones’ original tweets because that is how he really feels.

Don Jones has been sent to “sensitivity training” which is liberal code speak for indoctrination training. They want to pummel the hatred and bigoted ideas out of his head and replace them with politically correct views that are socially acceptable. What exactly does he need trained in, how to think for himself? How to decide his own personal values and convictions? Is anyone else bothered by the fact that such training is thought necessary simply because someone chose to share his views?

Ex-Giants player Derrick Ward tweeted:

“Man U got little kids lookin’ at the draft. I can’t believe ESPN even allowed that to happen.”

Ward was immediately inundated with hateful comments and death threats. Ward said if the experience:

“Gotta love America. Home of the greatest s**t talkers on earth. The past 24hrs I’ve been accused of being prejudice [and] a bigot. Had a few people say they wanted to kill me and my kids. I was the worst player in the NFL. They hope I die. And my kids killed. All because I said I didn’t think it was appropriate for someone to shove cake down another person’s face then tongue them down on national TV. Not once saying anything about the person’s sexual preference. But that’s America for you. All I can do is smile and say thank you for seeing things that aren’t there!”

What Ward found out is that liberals calling for equality and tolerance are often the most unequal and intolerant people around. What they really want is their brand of equality and tolerance that places them and their views above everyone else, and above reproach or question. Anyone that dares to speak against one of their values is vilified as a horrible person, all in the name of tolerance.

Whether anyone likes it or not, Don Jones and Derrick Ward are allowed to disagree and should be allowed to speak freely regarding their beliefs; even if they are just personal and not religiously based. When we start forcing people to make statements they don’t believe under some notion that compelled speech for the “greater good” is right we are in serious trouble. Even a liberal like ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recognizes the danger in punishing people for exercising their free speech.

The very opinionated and larger-than-life sports personality Stephen A – as he is affectionately known, made his feelings clear in a segment for ESPN:

“I think it’s a very, very dangerous thing when people see something and they have a problem with what they’re seeing and they express themselves, and ultimately they’re fined…not everybody is going to like you and like what they see. People should have the freedom to not want to be associated with that or not want that in their face. I don’t have a problem with it, but I do respect those that do.”

Are we sure Stephen A is a liberal, because he sounds an awful lot like a conservative. Either way he’s right. People should have the freedom to freely express their beliefs, opinions, and convictions on any given subject in our society without fear of reprisal. If that foundational freedom enshrined in our Constitution crumbles we will no longer be a free society. Already the thought police, some of which apparently work for the Miami Dolphins – are chipping away at that priceless freedom.

College football player DeMarcus Walker highlighted the comparison between how both the NFL and culture as a whole reacted to Michael Sam and Tim Tebow. Walker tweeted:

“Y’all praise Michael Sam for being gay but y’all mocked Tim Tebow for being a Christian. Smh.”

We all remember when Tebow was in the spotlight. He was articulate his faith and even in the face of loud opposition from others he refused to be silent. Tebow was told by many in and out of the NFL that football was no place for religion. One current NFL player even went so far as to say he wished Tebow would “shut up” with the Jesus talk.

But do you remember hearing about fines or suspension for those comments? Did anyone get sent to sensitivity training for disparaging remarks about someone’s religion? Of course not. Why? Because it is now perfectly acceptable to attack, criticize, and demonize people of faith for their convictions. However, when it comes to sexuality, well, don’t you dare say a word.

The discussion is so focused on Sam’s sexuality that even sports and news analysts are questioning whether his sexuality kept him from being drafted until the end of the last round. Are you serious?

A brief recap of Sam’s career might help. Sam is a decent football player that, prior to revealing that he is gay, had a good chance of possibly being selected late in the draft. After he came out as homosexual all of a sudden he was the talk of the town with some speculating that he would be chosen in the first round.  Now, I’m a football fan, but certainly no scouting expert. So will someone please explain to me how a decent football player with a chance of being selected late in the draft suddenly jumps to a first round pick simply he is gay?

The man has yet to play one professional football game, has yet to make the team, and already he is being hailed as a hero just because he is gay. The fact that the word hero is used of people who tell the world of their sexual preferences is indicative of the fact that the word hero is meaningless. Even President Obama took time to congratulate Sam for his achievements which, as far as anyone can tell, mainly consists of being gay. The irony of President Obama’s remarks are glaringly obvious to any casual observer:

“The President congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward today in our Nation’s journey…From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are.”

Hey, no argument from me. So, exactly what is it Michael Sam has done to deserve such praise? Can anyone list one accomplishment that would bring him from a draft hopeful to a first round pick? Of course not, the entire conversation regarding Michael Sam revolves around not his football ability but the fact that he is gay. (I’m sure someone will remember that Sam is the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, but many more simply know him as the “gay football player.”)

The reality is that people only care about Michael Sam because he is gay. Without that bit of information no one is even sure he would have made it into the NFL. Matt Walsh hits the nail on the head commenting on the fact that NFL teams care more about winning than sexuality and liberal social change:

“…it certainly wouldn’t surprise me if some teams were scared away by the media circus that follows him. That’s a funny thing about football teams — they’re worried about winning football games, not becoming champions for liberal social change. Michael Sam chose to call attention to his sex life. He chose to whip up a media frenzy. That choice guaranteed him a spot on a roster, if only for political reasons. But it also guaranteed that he would be a distraction to whatever team he ultimately joined. This is all a joke, only it’s not even funny anymore.”

Even Michael Sam has been duped into thinking he is better than NFL scouts say he is. In a recent interview Sam said he should have been picked in the first three rounds:

“From last season alone, I should’ve been in the first three rounds…I knew I was going to get picked somewhere. Every team that passed me, I was thinking how I’m going to sack their quarterback…And you know what I feel like I’m a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. I’m proud of where I am now.”

Too bad NFL scouts didn’t agree with Sam’s opinion of himself.

Yep, this is a joke. Nope, it’s not funny anymore. The reality that people can be punished for exercising their free speech, that they can be compelled to say what they don’t believe, that sexuality matters more than accomplishment. Nope, nothing funny about any of that.

Being gay might just have gotten Michael Sam into the NFL. But all the praise and media hype won’t give him a career. We see how that worked out for Jason Collins.