Michael Alan Sam, Jr. (born January 7, 1990) is an American professional gridiron football defensive end for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the University of Missouri and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Sam was a consensus All-American and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Missouri. After completing his college football career, Sam publicly came out as gay. He became the first publicly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. The Rams cut him at the end of training camp. He also spent time on the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad before being waived. He signed with the Alouettes before the 2015 season, and also became the first publicly gay player to play in the CFL.
