A year ago, Michael Sam was the story of the NFL combine because of his sexuality. Today, he's still waiting for a chance to prove himself as an NFL player.
After announcing he was gay and facing a barrage of questions at the combine thereafter, Sam is a man without a team now. He offered up a first-person account to MMQB, saying that he's working extremely hard for his next chance and is ready for his phone to ring.
"I’ll be ready to come right in and contribute," Sam wrote.
Drafted by the St. Louis Rams in Round 7, Sam had a productive preseason (11 tackles, three sacks) but was released in what was deemed a numbers crunch and was not kept on the Rams' 10-man practice squad in what many felt was a telling statement about his NFL potential. He remained out of work for a spell but landed with the Dallas Cowboys on their practice squad before being released after several weeks.
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Sam offered an interesting take on his Cowboys time, saying that he "felt that I left a good impression where I had been and that the door could be open for me to come back one day."
Could the Cowboys consider re-adding him to their 90-man roster this offseason? Perhaps, but it might not happen until after free agency is well underway, or maybe even after the draft is over. Such is the life, Sam said, for an "edge of the roster" player.
"[It's] something I have no choice but to embrace," he said. "This is the business."
Sam has been putting in time in the weight room in McKinney, Texas, working alongside other NFL hopefuls, trying to get his foot in the door. Any door. Sam even said he's love to compete at the NFL's first-ever "veterans" combine, which will consist of about 100 players working out for scouts in a similar setting to what's going down in Indianapolis this weekend and where Sam turned in a fairly shaky performance a year ago before the draft.
Although many have speculated that Sam's sexuality — as much as his football ability — has been what has kept him from getting another crack, he dispels that notion.
"I don’t believe that being gay has kept me off an NFL roster, but I will challenge anyone who says I don’t have the talent to make it in the league, and I will continue to push myself every single day and do whatever it takes until I can to earn another roster spot," Sam said.
Everyone has been speculating about what his next move might be if that NFL phone call never comes — playing in Canada (his negotiating rights are owned by the Montreal Alouettes), becoming a coach or perhaps even doing some TV. Sam is dismissing all that talk for now.
"Over the last few months I’ve been approached by networks about participating in pregame shows or being a guest analyst, especially towards the end of the college football season," he wrote. "I’ve even been asked point blank why I don’t quit football to explore other career opportunities.
"I tell them the same thing every time: I’ll give up the game when my legs are both broken."
Sam believes he's an NFL player and he won't stop fighting until he gets that chance. You have to love that about him, even if it never comes.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
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