Michael Sam

Michael Alan Sam Jr. (born January 7, 1990) is an American former professional football defensive lineman who is a coach for the Berlin Thunder in the American Football League Europe. Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played one game for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Sam was a unanimous All-American and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Missouri. After completing his college football career, Sam publicly came out as gay. He became the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. The Rams released him during the final preseason roster cuts. He also spent time on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad before being waived. He signed with Montreal before the 2015 season, and became the first publicly gay player to play in a CFL regular-season game.