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Michael Sam Signs With The CFL's Montreal Alouettes

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...yes, they do play gridiron football north of the border, ladies and gentlemen...
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(SB Nation - Outsports) Michael Sam has signed a contract to play for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League this season. Barring injury, Sam will take his first regular-season professional football snaps when the Alouettes play host to the Ottawa Redblacks on June 25. It is the opening kick-off game for the 2015 CFL season and will be broadcast nationally in Canada.

That game may get more attention in the United States than any CFL game outside of the Grey Cup.

Sam was the first NFL prospect to ever come out publicly as gay, and he was the first publicly out gay man to play an NFL preseason game. An NFL active roster spot, however, has so far eluded him.

"With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today," said Alouettes' general manager, Jim Popp. "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." He will wear No. 94 for the Alouettes.

Every expectation is that Sam will play extensively for the Alouettes this season and has the potential to move into a starting position quickly for the team.

While many hoped Sam would take his first regular-season professional football snap in the NFL, no team has been willing to sign him other than the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys. Both teams cut him last season. Instead, he will follow in the footsteps of another trailblazer - Warren Moon - who spent five years in the CFL before any NFL teams would take a "chance" on a black quarterback. Moon is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"I am very excited and proud to join the Montreal Alouettes and want to thank team Owner Robert Wetenhall, General Manager Jim Popp and Head Coach Tom Higgins for this opportunity," Sam said via the Alouettes. "I cannot wait to put on the pads, get back on the field and work hard each and every day with my teammates to bring a Grey Cup to the great fans here in Montreal.

Sam brings a pedigree rivaled by few CFL recruits. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC, which some say equals the CFL in football talent. In the Cotton Bowl his senior season with the Missouri Tigers, Sam forced the game-clinching fumble. In the preseason with the Rams, Sam was top-five in the NFL (and No. 1 on his team) in sacks and was second on the Rams in tackles.

If Sam is able to perform well in the CFL this season, NFL teams will need to give him a second look. Various CFL players are signed to NFL futures contracts at the end of every year.

The Alouettes finished second in the East Division last season and lost to Hamilton in the second round of the playoffs. Last year's Alouettes sacks leader, John Bowman, recorded 12 sacks (the league best was 15) in 18 games. Montreal last won the Grey Cup in 2010.

Thoughts?
 
Anything is possible.
Exactly; like I said earlier, if he has a bang-out season or two in Canada, he's liable to get another look by NFL teams.

The trick I think facing Sam is the same that many American ex-pats w/in the CFL have faced: can he adapt to a Canadian game that's more open and quicker than the NFL game? If he can - and based on most reports in the Canadian press, the Alouettes' think he can - then it might work. As you said, anything is possible.
 
...well, that didn't last very long....
(Yahoo Sports) MONTREAL (AP) -- Michael Samhas left the Montreal Alouettes training camp for personal reasons. The CFL team said the rookie defensive end has been given special permission to return home to Texas.

''With all due respect for Michael Sam, the nature of this decision will remain confidential,'' said a team statement. ''The Montreal Alouettes fully respect Michael Sam's decision and rally around him to offer him all time and support needed. The team has left the door open and Michael is welcome to come back whenever he feels ready.''

Sam's departure comes three weeks after he became the first openly gay player to sign in the CFL. Montreal plays its first preseason game Saturday night in Quebec City.

The 25-year-old Sam was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams, becoming the first openly gay player chosen by an NFL team. He was later cut by the Rams and from the Dallas Cowboys' practice roster.

He is part of a tiny group of professional athletes who have chosen to go public about their sexual orientation. Retired NBA playerJason Collins came out in April 2013, while Los Angeles Galaxy soccer star Robbie Rogers is the lone player to do so in Major League Soccer.

A star at Missouri, Sam earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013 before turning pro.
 

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Welcome to Offtopix 👋, Visitor

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