Who%20is%20Michael%20%20Sam%3F
- Michael Sam is a former American professional football player
- He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of NFL in the 7th round of the 2014 NFL draft
- Sam publicly came out as gay and became the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL
Michael Alan Sam Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. Sam also played one season for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Sam made his professional debut on August 8, 2014, in the first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. During the second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, he recorded his first professional sack, where he sacked Matt Flynn. Later sam was added to the practice squad of the Dallas Cowboys on September 3, 2014. However, the Cowboys waived Sam to make room for linebacker Troy Davis on October 21.
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After his college football career, Sam publicly came out as gay and became the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. President Barack Obama applauded the move and congratulated Sam, the Rams, and the NFL for taking such an important step forward, from playing field to the corporate boardroom. After which, St. Louis Rams jerseys bearing Sam%u2019s name became the second best-selling rookie jerseys on the NFL%u2019S website. Sam%u2019s jersey ranked sixth in sales among all NFL players during the period from April to July.
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Sam also participated in the first NFL Veteran Combine running 4.99 seconds in the 40-yard dash. In 2015, Sam signed a two-year contract with Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, which made him the first openly gay player in the league%u2019s history. Due to some personal reasons he missed the team%u2019s first five games and made his CFL debut on August 7, 2015against Ottawa Redblacks. He became the first publicly gay player to play in a CFL regular-season game.
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On August 14, 2015, Sam announced his retirement due to mental health reasons on Twitter. Currently, he shares his life experience as an author and motivational speaker.
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