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Robert Kraft says the Patriots would be happy to have a gay player

Stacy Revere

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has gone on the record to saying that his team would welcome a gay player with open arms if they could help the football team win games. He told the Boston Herald that he supports Michael Sam, the Missouri defensive end who will be in this year's NFL draft.

Pats’ Robert Kraft would welcome Sam if he could ‘help us win’ | Boston Herald
"We’re about winning," Kraft said. "And anyone who can come in here and help us win, I personally don’t care what their ethnic background is, their racial background, the gender preference. If they can help us win, and they’re about team first, then I’m happy to have him here."

Kraft said he has not spoken with Patriots coach Bill Belichick about the 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive lineman, but noted that "he knows that I would encourage him if (Sam) can help us win. "He and I have discussed this in the past," Kraft said. "Anyone who can help us win."

Kraft pointed to the Patriots’ locker room as having a culture that would be welcoming to an openly-gay player.

"If a player were gay and came into this locker room, it would be the most supportive system," he said. "He’d gain strength by being in here. And it wouldn’t be divisive and he’d make friends for life and they could help him win.

It sure is nice to have an owner like Robert Kraft running things in Foxboro. Winning really should be only priority for the Patriots, and if a gay player can help them win games, then his preferences shouldn't matter.

And it's hogwash if anyone thinks this could potentially be a distraction in the Patriots locker room. This team had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history after Spygate, and went all the way to the AFC Championship after Aaron Hernandez was arrested this past summer.

Oh, and not to mention that Tim Tebow guy, who created a media circus during training camp.

But that's the thing, it wasn't much of a circus after day one of camp. New England has a special way of preventing the media from making a story out of a non-story.

It could be argued that New England is the perfect team for Sam to start his NFL career.