Michael Sam on Leaving the Canadian Football League: ‘I’m a NFL Player’

Former Canadian Football League and University of Missouri defensive end Michael Sam appeared on Friday’s “The Herd” on Fox Sports 1 and told host Colin Cowherd that he is still an NFL player.

Sam, the first openly gay player to be selected in the NFL draft, regrets having been drafted by the local St. Louis Rams because he did not fit their play style, saying he wished he could have been a free agent to sign with the team of choice. The Rams later cut Sam and then he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys, only to be cut by them as well.

After failing to be signed by an NFL team after attending a combine for veteran players to show off their skills, Sam eventually agreed to a contract with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. His career in Montreal lasted one game before he decided to step away.

The former SEC defensive player of the year said he left the CFL because he trained for the NFL and he “realized” he was not “cut out to be a CFL player.”

“I wasn’t fitting the program,” Sam explained. “I felt out of place out there. I started to realize after all the work I put into, I trained for the NFL, I realized that I’m not cut out to be a CFL player after all the work I put in and all the sacrifices I did. I’m a NFL player so I’m going to sacrifice whatever, do whatever I can to get back into the NFL.”