NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith blasted a group of anonymous NFL general managers and executives who reportedly believe that Michael Sam has damaged his draft stock by announcing that he is gay.

Smith conducted an interview Monday with CSN Washington, emphatically stating that any team official who anonymously downgrades Sam is "gutless."

Sam, an All-America pass-rusher at Missouri, announced he is gay during an interview Sunday with ESPN's "Outside The Lines." Assuming he is drafted, Sam would become the first openly gay player in NFL history.

Sam's announcement prompted two reports, one by si.com and one by mmqb.com, citing multiple league GMs who projected that the defensive end's draft stock would drop significantly. One of the general managers -- all of whom wished to remain anonymous -- told mmqb.com he doesn't think Sam will be drafted.

"When you contrast a group of anonymous GMs against a 24-year-old college player, it seems like only one of them had the guts to put his name behind his message," Smith told CSN Washington. "So my first reaction has nothing to do with Michael Sam. My reaction is to call those GMs for what they are -- they're gutless.

"If a young man has the courage to stand up and put his name and his face to talk about what he thinks is important, I would expect that a grown man can do exactly the same thing. But apparently they can't."