Los Angeles Rams Avoided ‘Hard Knocks’ In 2014

Somehow, the Los Angeles Rams avoided the spotlight of ‘Hard Knocks’ in 2014.

As reported by Howard Balzer of 590 The Fan (St. Louis) and echoed by Fox Sports, the NFL made a deal with the then-St. Louis Rams to draft Michael Sam in exchange for a pass on the show ‘Hard Knocks’.

Now that the team is heading for Los Angeles in a historic relocation effort, the publicity is welcome, but that’s not how it’s always been.

Sam was the first openly gay athlete to be up for a draft in any comparison to what the NFL has to offer.

Because his coming out came before teams selected who would be their next primary investments, it made national headlines. People across the country were anxious to see what would become of it.

While some worried that teams would pick him solely because of his sexual preference, he held his own in college football, hailing from the University of Missouri.

In a battle-tested and tried conference in the SEC, Sam had his work cut out for him, but even then was able to exceed expectations.

Sam would go on to be recognized as Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC — a feat not easily earned.

Knowing this, and also knowing that the world was now watching ever so closely to see which team would grab him, the league reportedly didn’t want to watch an opportunity for Sam go out the window.

So they cut a deal with the Rams, per the report.

The Rams fit the bill to be on the show ‘Hard Knocks’, but Jeff Fisher seemed to do everything in his power to make that not happen.

As good as Fisher is with dealing with chaos, drama, and whatever else might plague a football team from time to time, the last thing he seemed to want was the attention of a television show focused on his squad.

Why? Because he didn’t want too much of a distraction.

Funny how he then went on to draft Michael Sam, though.

In this instance, Sam wasn’t part of the final roster sheet with the Rams, and went on to try out for Dallas but to no avail.

After that, Sam tried taking his talents up north to the CFL, but didn’t participate in more than one game with the team.

Next: Los Angeles Rams Won't Change Jerseys Until 2019

In short, now that this report comes out regarding the decisions within the 2014 NFL Draft, it makes the Rams’ appearance on ‘Hard Knocks’ just that much more ironic.