Cowboys cut Michael Sam from practice squad
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys released defensive end Michael Sam from the practice squad Tuesday, another setback as the NFL's first openly gay player tries to make an active roster during the regular season for the first time.
Sam spent seven weeks with the Cowboys after signing to their practice squad on Sept. 3, four days after he was among the final cuts by the St. Louis Rams at the end of the preseason.
Team officials disputed speculation that the Cowboys signed Sam strictly for publicity. Head coach Jason Garrett told CBS Dallas the move was made strictly for football reasons.
"We feel like he has a chance to come in and compete for a spot," Garrett said in September. "We got nothing but good reports about him. This is about football. We evaluated him as a football player. Our attention is on football."
Sam thanked the Cowboys organization on Twitter on Tuesday, vowing to work towards continuing his career in the NFL.
I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, (1/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
and fans for their support. While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an (2/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday. (3/3)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) October 21, 2014
The Rams drafted the former SEC defensive player of the year from Missouri late in the seventh round in May. He was pick No. 249 out of 256. Sam had three sacks in the preseason with St. Louis playing mostly against second- and third-stringers.
After the Rams cut Sam, the general manager of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, Jim Popp, said the team reached out to Sam.
In July, Sam received the Arthur Ashe courage award at the ESPY awards.