Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the NFL, received support from a teammate after an ESPN report by Josina Anderson on Tuesday morning on how the linebacker was adjusting to his life with his new teammates. 
 
 Sam’s showering habits were included in the report, which drew criticism on social media. In the report, Anderson quoted an anonymous Rams player, who said Sam might be steering clear of the showers to avoid making his teammates uncomfortable. 
 
 But hours after the report aired, Sam, who survived the first round of cuts and is on the team’s 75-man roster, received support from veteran defensive end Chris Long: 
 
 Anderson also quoted one of Sam’s teammates, defenseman Kendall Langford, who said the rookie from Missouri is “simply one of the guys.” 
 
 Responding to a flurry of criticism, ESPN defended its reporting. 
 
 “In response to recent questions about Sam fitting in with the team, multiple Rams brought up the shower topic and we relayed that information as part of our reporting.” 
 
 ESPN later apologized. 
 
 “ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports,” spokesman Josh Krulewitz wrote on Twitter. 

 Updated: Aug. 27 at 10:10 a.m. ET 
 
 Have you heard St. Louis Rams rookie Michael Sam is the National Football League's first openly gay player? It was a huge story — back in May. 
 
 Some people have since grown tired of what they feel is ESPN's unrelenting over-coverage of Sam's every move — antipathy that reached its zenith on Tuesday morning when the network aired a report that focused in part on whether or not Sam has been showering with his new teammates. One of those teammates took to Twitter shortly after to blast the network for its Michael mania. 
 
 Here's star defensive end Chris Long's tweet, which was immediately retweeted thousands of times, and made the phrase "Dear ESPN" trend worldwide on Twitter: 
 
 Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it. — Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) August 26, 2014 
 
 Coming from Long, that's a big message directed straight at the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports." While Sam is a rookie who's performed well in the pre-season — but is still fighting to make the Rams' final roster — Long was the second-overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, and is one of the team's leaders. 
 
 The report that appears to have been Long's final straw came earlier Tuesday from ESPN’s Josina Anderson, and immediately triggered widespread revulsion from Twitter users. Via The Washington Post, here's a snippet: 
 
 Another Rams defensive player told me that “Sam is respecting our space” and that, from his perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is kind of waiting to take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable. 
 
 The report also speculated about other reasons why Sam and another teammate had not yet showered together — they include extra reps with coaches, post-practice cardio work, etc. Here's video: 
 
 UPDATE — Aug. 27, 2014 at 10 a.m. ET: ESPN issued a statement on Wednesday about its Tuesday coverage of Michael Sam:
– Everyone who thought that Tony Dungy's statements about Michael Sam would be the last we'd have to hear about the NFL linebacker's private life can thank ESPN for reopening that door. Josina Anderson reported yesterday on how the NFL's first openly gay player was getting along with his new teammates on the St. Louis Rams, which is a reasonable angle to take as the 2014 season for the rookie gets underway. What wasn't viewed as quite so reasonable, however, was Anderson quoting an anonymous Rams player about Sam's showering routine in the locker room. While Anderson started off with an innocuous quote from teammate Kendall Langford—who said Sam is "simply just one of the guys," according to the New York Post—the words she spoke next are what sparked a social media hubbub, reports Mashable: "Another Rams defensive player told me that 'Sam is respecting our space' and that, from his perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is waiting to kind of take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable." Her report incited a rapid response on Twitter, including from Rams defensive end Chris Long. "Dear ESPN, Everyone but you is over it," he tweeted. An ESPN spokesman tweeted today, "ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."