SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog 

By now, if you haven’t heard the name “Michael Sam,” you’ve probably been hiding under a rock somewhere. His name was constantly in the headlines of both sports and news media after he publicly announced he is gay. And for good reason. The former Mizzou football player and SEC Defensive Player of the Year could become the first openly gay player in the NFL. As many in the media struggled to find a new angle for the story, some questioned whether Sam’s sexual orientation would hurt his chances of being a high draft pick – or a draft pick at all. Some speculated that NFL teams may pass on Sam because of the real or perceived unrest it could create among his teammates.

Suppose Michael Sam goes undrafted – or in employment law terms – suppose NFL teams refuse to hire him because he is gay. What recourse would he have? 

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - what better way to announce an unexpected European vacation to your friends? That is, unless the funds used for the trip are the proceeds of a settlement agreement containing a confidentiality provision. In that case, according to a Florida court, social media is definitely not your friend (Gulliver School, Inc. v. Snay, 2014 51911, Fl. Dist. Ct. App., 2/26/14).