NLF teams over the weekend had an
opportunity to pick up Michael Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player
to be drafted, but none elected to do so.
According to ESPN,
after the St. Louis Rams cut Sam from their roster on Saturday, teams
had 24 hours to sign him.
The 24-year-old defensive end still has
a chance of making it into the NFL this year by joining a practice
squad.
“The journey continues,” a hopeful
Sam tweeted to his more than 183,000 followers on Saturday.
Rams head coach Jeff Fischer told
reporters Saturday that he had been “pulling for” Sam and that
the decision to release him was “a football decision.”
Fischer said Sam was never a
distraction: “There were no issues, that's the thing. No issues in
the team meeting room, on the field, anyplace.”
But the likelihood of Sam joining the
Rams' 10-player practice squad is small. That's because the team's
defensive line, Sam's position, is its strongest unit.
In a joint editorial, Outsports.com
co-founders Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler said Sam deserved a shot in
the league.
“Sam has proven he can play in the
NFL. … [H]e's played well or very well in each of his three
preseasons games,” they
wrote.
(Related: Bryan
Fischer: Michael Sam firing shows bakers can discriminate against
gays.)