Ex-NFL QB Shaun King -- Michael Sam's Reality Show Is a Mistake

Michael Sam is doing himself a HUGE disservice by getting into bed with Oprah ... so says former NFL QB Shaun King who thinks Sam's reality show will seriously hurt his chances of making the Rams.

As we previously reported, Sam is doing a docu-drama for the OWN Network about his journey to the NFL -- and cameras have been rolling since before the NFL Draft.

Now, King -- who played in the league from 1999 to 2006 -- tells TMZ Sports he personally supports Michael Sam and is proud of the guy ... but believes teams will view the show as a distraction.

"After what happened with Tebow, the last thing an NFL team wants is a media circus. They just want to go about their business and focus on winning."

King says he believes teams may have gotten wind of the show before the draft and it could have been one of the reasons he fell to the 7th round.

"I had him pegged as a 5th round guy. I think the reason he dropped is because teams are afraid [of things like the reality show]."