Dallas Cowboys release openly gay athlete Michael Sam from practice squad
Defensive end聽Michael聽Sam, who hopes to become the first openly gay athlete to play in a regular-season聽National Football League聽game, was released on Tuesday by the聽Dallas Cowboys.
Sam, who joined the team on Sept. 3, spent the first seven weeks of the season on the 10-man practice squad and never made it to the 53-man roster.
He thanked Cowboys owner聽Jerry Jones聽for the chance.
"I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support,"聽Sam聽said via Twitter.
"While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in聽Dallas聽and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday."
The first openly gay player in the NFL,聽Sam聽was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the draft in May. When he was cut by the Rams in late August, the Cowboys picked him up and immediately placed him on the practice squad.
Sam聽was the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at聽Missouri. However, at 6-foot-2 (1.88-m), 260 pounds (118-kg), he was seen by some as too small to play defensive end in the NFL but not athletic enough to play linebacker.
Every NFL team has a 10-member practice squad that helps it prepare for games. When injuries force players to the sidelines, the teams often look to the practice squad to fill out their game-day rosters as short-term help.
The Cowboys' decision to waive聽Sam, who is free to sign with another team, opens a spot for linebacker聽Troy Davis, a second-year pro from聽Central Florida聽who worked out with the team on Monday.
