The first out gay player drafted into the NFL will get another shot at football in Canada’s professional league.
Michael Sam attends the SEC Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Missouri Tigers at the Georgia Dome on December 6, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Michael Sam, the first out gay player drafted into the NFL, has signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Sam's career in the NFL ended in 2014 after two short stints with the St. Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
Sam reached a two-year deal with the Alouettes on Friday, according to a news release from the team.
"With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today," Alouettes general manager Jim Popp said. "Not only have we added an outstanding football player, we have added even a better person that brings dignity, character, and heart to our team."
Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams, the team that drafted him, in August. That came as a surprise after a preseason where Sam finished among team leaders in sacks, tackles, and snaps.
A couple days later, the Dallas Cowboys signed Sam to their practice squad. But the Cowboys ultimately released him in October, and Sam hasn't been picked up by another NFL team since then.
In March, Sam participated in the NFL's first veteran combine and posted disappointing results, running the 40-yard-dash in unofficial times of 5.07 seconds and 5.10 — much slower than his recorded times of 4.91 at the combine in Indianapolis last year.
"I did my best," Sam told reporters after the workout. "I am very confident that I will be playing football this year … somewhere."
He's recently coming off a short stint on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" franchise, where his final performance was set to "Not My Father's Son" from the Broadway musical "Kinky Boots" — a reference to his estranged relationship with his father, Michael Sam, Sr.
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