Michael Sam Cut From Dallas Cowboys Practice Squad, Shares Hopes for an NFL Return on Twitter

First openly gay professional football player thanks his team for their support

By Mike Vulpo Oct 22, 2014 12:41 AMTags
Michael SamDilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Michael Sam's career in the NFL just received a major hit.

The Dallas Cowboys waived the rookie defensive end from their practice squad Tuesday and instead, signed linebacker Troy Davis.

Sam, who received national attention for being the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, joined the football organization after he was cut from the St. Louis Rams.

As soon as the news broke, Sam spoke out on Twitter and thanked his fans for their support.

"I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates and fans for their support," he shared online. "While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday."

Just last week, coach Jason Garrett complimented Sam's work in practice. "Comes to work every day and practices hard," he told ESPN. "One of 10 practice roster guys that we have, so he's working on his skills, trying to develop, but also doing a lot of other things."

While Dallas fans may know Sam from his plays on the field, a majority of Americas also recognize the athlete for his emotional acceptance speech at the 2014 ESPY Awards.

While accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, the 24-year-old emotionally described his experience coming out so publicly.

"This year I had a lot of experience being part of something bigger than myself," he shared while tearing up. "At times, I felt like I'd been living in a massive storm…but I'm here tonight to tell you the lessons learned about love and respect and being true to yourself will never leave me."

Those teachable moments will also help Sam maintain his love for the game.

"Whatever passion you have, follow it," he shared. Best of luck, Michael.