The moves announced Wednesday came a day after Philadelphia added former Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins on the f

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CLEVELAND -- Once Michael Sam is drafted in the NFL, the Missouri defensive end will be judged strictly on whether he can play and whether he can help his team win. Andy Dalton Jersey . Everything else -- even that hes gay -- will be trivial. As the first openly homosexual player to enter the draft, Sam could face scrutiny unlike any player before him. But many of the greatest players and coaches in football history dont believe hell be subjected to any hatred, harassment, discrimination or bullying by teammates. "I dont think hell have any problem in the locker room. I dont think hell have any problems on the field," said Hall of Fame offensive tackle Art Shell. "The one thing about football players, theyre inclusive. They will take you for who you are, not what people try to portray you as. "Its who you are: Youre a football player, then you can play with us. I dont see that as being a problem in the National Football League." Shells stance was shared by several other Hall of Famers, including Lions running back Barry Sanders, Buffalo coach Marv Levy, and Giants linebacker Harry Carson, who appeared along with nearly 100 other inductees at a two-day "Fan Fest," the largest gathering ever of football legends outside Canton, Ohio. Sanders, who retired at the peak of his career following the 1998 season with 15,269 career yards rushing, believes theres an unwritten code among football players to ignore anything other than a persons skills and talents. "From the time youre a kid and you start playing, youre almost programmed for Can a guy play or not?" he said. "By the time you get to the NFL, thats well ingrained. Im pretty sure every guy in this league has been around gay individuals before, and so I dont think it will be much different." Sams courageous decision to reveal his sexual orientation was an important personal milestone. It was also an historic moment for the NFL and all major sports as it provides a deeper reflection of societys openness and willingness to accept his individuality. Sams revelation may not have been met with such overwhelming approval just a few years ago. In the macho arena that is pro football, Sam may have been an outcast in previous generations. "Hes a very bold guy to come out," said cornerback Michael Haynes, a nine-time Pro Bowler elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997. "The timing is good. If hed done that in the 60s or 70s, maybe not so good because everybody was really struggling with how to understand differences like that in people. "Diversity has become a critical topic, people are talking about it all the time and I think the world is different. Remember Magic Johnson with AIDS? It starts with education. Hell be judged on football." Carson, who retired in 1988 after 13 seasons in New York, said he was "proud" of Sam for choosing to be open about his sexuality. Carson recalled that one of his Giants teammates, offensive lineman Roy Simmons, was suspected as being gay and was never ostracized. "It never really swayed anyones opinion of him," Carson said. "But its something he lived with and he didnt have to by himself because he had teammates, and the teammates he had were guys who supported him. Even though he never said anything, were a team and guys on the team who are unselfish are going to support their teammates regardless of how they choose to live their lives." Simmons, the first player to acknowledge he was HIV positive, died early this year. He was 57. Its possible there will be some awkwardness for Sam in the locker room, where he could be subjected to jokes and playful ribbing. Sanders believes those days are long gone. "Guys are more forward thinking than you think," he said. "It helps that hes a big guy. No one will mess with him." The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Sam has been projected to be drafted from the third round on. Sam didnt perform well on the field at the scouting combine, where he calmly handled tough questions about his decision to "come out." Levy, who led the Bills to four straight Super Bowls, said his criteria before deciding to draft Sam would be pretty simple. "Is he the best guy at his position when were on the board, and do we need a guy at that position?" the 89-year-old Levy said. "If so, Ill take him. Id like to know his character qualities and other things, but that would not factor into my decision." If he were coaching a team that selected Sam, Levy said he would not feel any need to address his players. That may not have been the case 10 or 20 years ago. "I wouldnt make an issue of it," Levy said. "I think society has adjusted to the point where its an acceptable thing and why make an issue of it? That would be my approach. Things change, plus Ive got to worry about how to pick up the blitz." Womens Anthony Munoz Jersey . Louis Rams had some fun during the coin toss of Sunday’s game at the expense of the Washington Redskins. Womens Geno Atkins Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthonys 27 points and 11 rebounds propelled the New York Knicks to their first winning streak in over two months by virtue of Wednesdays 98-91 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. http://www.footballbengalsnflstore.com/ . Nikolaj Ehlers had the other two goals for the Mooseheads (9-6-0), who led 3-1 after the first period. Anthony Richard and Guillaume Gelinas replied for the Foreurs (7-6-0).WASHINGTON - For a while, the Washington Wizards seemed determined to make the game live down to its billing. That turnover-filled first half? It looked more like a bad practice.One of the guys here in the locker room said, Lets treat the first half like it was a shootaround, and in the second half lets play a basketball game, centre Marcin Gortat said.That suggestion came from sage veteran Drew Gooden, and his words were well-heeded. The Wizards overcame the sluggish start Sunday night and put away the slumping Utah Jazz, 93-84.We came out a little flat, on our heels a little bit, guard Bradley Beal said. But I think we did a great job retaliating.This was a classic letdown game. The Wizards had a big win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, and the follow-up was buried in the background of an NFL Sunday. Washington had six assists and 12 turnovers in the first half.Unfortunately, this is how were preparing sometimes for the teams that are in the bottom half of the league, Gortat said. And, unfortunately, we just didnt perform from the first minute.The Jazz couldnt capitalize sufficiently on the Wizards early struggles and paid the price with a bit of role reversal: Utah committed 10 turnovers after the break, while Washington had just three.The Jazzs biggest first-half lead was only seven points, leaving plenty of opportunity for John Wall, Beal and Nene to lead a third-quarter surge that put the Wizards ahead for good.Wall filled up his stat line with 16 points, eight assists, six rebounds, five steals, three blocks and five turnovers. Beal scored 22 points, and Paul Pierce added 15 for the Wizards, who have won four straight — the longest current winning streak in the Eastern Conference — and seven of eight. Custom Bengals Jersey. Alec Burks scored 19 points, and Gordon Hayward had 16 for the Jazz, who have lost 11 of 12.If we can put together two halves, well be a heck of a team, said former Wizards forward Trevor Booker, who had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench. But were working towards that right now.___BENCH HELPNene and Andre Miller came off the bench to sustain the Wizards momentum in the second half. Nene finished 5 for 8 from the field and scored 10 points, while Miller was 5 for 6 and also had 10 points. Millers driving layup in the first minute of the fourth quarter produced the games first double-digit lead.TIP-INSJazz: F Derrick Favours sat out after spraining his right ankle in the loss to the Miami Heat on Friday. Rudy Gobert filled in, getting his first career NBA start. ... The game was the first of six in the Jazzs annual pre-Christmas road trip.Wizards: Washington has won seven straight at home and is 5-1 this season vs. the Western Conference. ... One franchise player honoured another as Washington Capitals three-time NHL MVP Alex Ovechkin attended the game wearing a Wall jersey. TV cameras followed Ovechkin into the Wizards locker room as part of the buildup to the Winter Classic at Nationals Park on New Years Day.UP NEXTJazz: At Pelicans on Tuesday.Wizards: Home to Timberwolves on Tuesday.___Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '