Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL, has signed a contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, the team tweeted Friday.
“With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today,” Alouettes’ general manager Jim Popp said in a release announcing the signing. “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.”
Welcome to Montreal Michael Sam!
DETAILS -> http://t.co/SSa9jTb864 #IsItJuneYet #Alouettes pic.twitter.com/mc3GCuUiQV
— #AlsMTL (@MTLAlouettes) May 22, 2015
Sam came out as gay to his University of Missouri teammates before his senior season, when he went on to become the Southeastern Conference’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. He came out publicly following the end of that season, and the St. Louis Rams selected him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft last May.
Sam turned in a strong preseason performance for the Rams, notching three total sacks, but the team released him as part of its final roster cuts before the 2014 season began. He was cut again after a brief stint on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad.
The CFL, which has sent prominent players to the NFL in the past, has been a rumored destination since Sam’s last release, and in Montreal, he will join one of the league’s most successful franchises. The Alouettes have won seven total Grey Cup championships, the last in 2010, and last year finished second in the East division before losing in the playoffs.
“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 said in the team release.
Sam signed a two-year contract with the Alouettes, whose season begins June 13.