“I can see it getting really ugly.”

I’ve got to say, if I found out my school was making a pitch like this on the recruiting trail, I’d be offended.

Multiple SEC assistants say that Sam’s coming out will be used by rival schools to negatively recruit against Missouri. “Coaches are going to be all over this,” said one assistant at another school.

If that sounds like backward thinking, that’s because it is. It also provides insight into the way football coaches operate. Some are tactful in how they approach things. Others, not so much.

“It’s a powder keg just waiting to explode,” the assistant said.

The assistant predicts that opposing coaches will pose a number of questions. “Why did [Missouri] cover this up?” the assistant said. “What else are they hiding? What were they trying to do? Keep a secret society?”

Not because of the prejudice.  Because it’s so effing stupid.  A secret society of teh gay?  What?  There ain’t a school in the SEC that doesn’t have secrets.  So what’s the real message supposed to be here – “come to our program where we try to keep a lid on old-fashioned, apple pie, American issues like rape, drugs and assault”?  Or, “don’t be fooled by a team having one of its players’ back, here’s the real dope”?  After all, what kid wouldn’t be swayed by that?

Honestly, I can’t think of a program that would be moronic enough to push something like that, unless there’s a five-star recruit on Duck Dynasty in next year’s class.  (I keed, I keed.)  Maybe it’s a form of reverse psychology – every SEC coach can deny with all his heart that his school would resort to something like that.

 Sports Illustrated really ought to be ashamed of itself for publishing that tripe.