Michael Sam Believes He'd Still Be in the NFL If He Hadn't Come Out

Also still training to get back.

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In some alternate universe Michael Sam never came out as gay and, in some alternate universe, (in Michael Sam's opinion) he never had to trek to the fallback of Canadian pigskin because he's still playing in the NFL

Talking to Dan Patrick earlier today, Sam told the longtime broadcaster on whether or not he'd be in the world's top league had he not publicly revealed he was gay "I'm not going to say ... but it probably would have been better for me if I didn't come out, I would be on a roster." He also stated that he left the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL because he thought he was un-learning the techniques he picked up in his short stints with both the Rams and Cowboys. Last month (when he left Montreal) he stated the reason behind his departure was to focus on his "mental health."

In case you're wondering then why did he reveal it? Sam intimated that the media was going to divulge the info anyway, and that the original idea was to tell his team privately after he was drafted (much in the same way he told his college teammates.) He also stated, earlier in the interview, that he has "no regrets whatsoever" despite the potential harm he believes coming out may've done to his career. 

Currently Sam now finds himself back at the University of Missouri where he's planning on picking up his Master's degree in his quest to eventually jump into broadcasting. However, he has also not yet given up on his dream of fighting in the NFL trenches (which should be obvious given his participation in this year's all-around disastrous Veteran Combine). Said the former SEC Player of the Year on the prospects of making it to a regular season game “I am a football player, a damn good one too, and I want to prove myself within this league. I know that I can do this, and I can play in this league.”

Will he get the opportunity? Probably not. Shelf lives in the NFL are notoriously short, and his Canadian career (such as it was) did him no favors. But still, we'd certainly be interested to watch.

[via Dan Patrick Show

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