Gay Footballer Michael Sam Says He's Stepping Away From Football Citing 'Mental Health'

Citing worries for his own sanity, Michael Sam – professional football’s first openly gay player – is walking away from the game again. He left the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes on Friday and said he is taking time away from the game. 

Sam, the SEC’s defensive player of the year in 2013, announced before the 2014 NFL draft that he is gay. His life after that point has been a whirlwind that included short stints with the St Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys, an appearance on Dancing With The Stars and his time with the Alouettes in which he actually saw his only pro game action in a game last week.


This is the second time Sam has left Montreal. The other came two weeks into training camp when he left the team for personal reasons, returning to the team right before the start of the season in June. At the time, Alouettes vice president Jim Popp told the Guardian he thought the defensive end was struggling with the overwhelming attention that comes with being the first professional player to come out as gay.
Source: Guardian UK

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