Michael Sam, who was hoping to become the first openly gay player in NFL history, was cut by the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, the team announced. All NFL teams had to trim their rosters down to the league-mandated 53 players by 4 p.m. ET.
Sam, drafted in the seventh round with the 249th pick, came up short in a competition against undrafted rookie Ethan Westbrooks.
"When we drafted Michael we mentioned that it was going to be a tough road," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said at a news conference. "Those four defensive ends we have on the roster are good. And they're very productive. As well as the tackles. That's the strength of our football team. But again, it was a football decision."
The other 31 NFL teams have until noon ET on Sunday to claim Sam off waivers, but he will be free to sign with a practice squad if he goes unclaimed. The Rams said they would not challenge a claim by another team, though according to ESPN they would like to bring Sam back to their 10-man practice squad.
"There's no challenge with respect to Mike Sam," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said at a press conference. "He's not about drawing attention to himself. He kept his head down and worked and you can't ask anything more out of any player for that matter."
Sam made a statement in a series of tweets following the Rams' announcement.
I want to thank the entire Rams organization and the city of St. Louis for giving me this tremendous opportunity and allowing me to (1/2)
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) August 30, 2014
show I can play at this level. I look forward to continuing to build on the progress I made here toward a long and successful career (2/2) — Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) August 30, 2014
The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues. — Michael Sam (@MichaelSamNFL) August 30, 2014
Sam played well during the preseason, recording 11 tackles and a team-high three sacks. He led the team with six tackles in Thursday's preseason finale against Miami. Sam spent most of his time in the preseason playing against second- and third-string players.
"I will tell you this: I was pulling for Mike," he said. "I really was, and I don't say that very often. Mike came in here and did everything we asked him to do."
Westbrooks is one of nine defensive linemen to earn a roster spot with St. Louis. His stats this preseason were similar to Sam's, but his versatility gave him the edge over Sam as Westbrooks played at all four spots on the defensive line throughout the preseason.
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