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First openly gay NFL drafted player ‘steps away’ from game

The defensive end tweeted on Friday, “The last 12 months have been very hard for me, to the point where I became concerned with my mental health”.

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“I would think anybody that’s 25 years old that has been going through it for a year and a half, it would have to affect him”.

Sam also mentioned that the last year has been so tumultuous, he needed some time to step away and reflect on his future before returning to the pro football scene. He wasn’t tough enough to play professional football. The young man has had a lot of pressure for a while. We wish Sam the best of luck in his future endeavors.

It is unknown exactly what the mental health issues are that caused Michael Sam to quit football.

From his Twitter account, which has a profile picture of him wearing his college jersey, Sam explained his decision to followers.

On June 12, he asked to leave the Montreal training camp for personal reasons without releasing details of the underlying cause. In doing so, he became the first openly gay player to play in a CFL game.

How this unfolded wasn’t entirely Sam’s fault. When he made history for being the first openly gay player in NFL history, he was congratulated by President Barack Obama.

Some things were just never meant to be.

However, Sam didn’t persevere when he had to face adversity.

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No, the sports media didn’t make Sam a slow, “tweener”, and a bad scheme fit for an NFL defense. When he’d made the transition to professional football with the Alouettes, something was wrong.

Michael Sam said he was concerned for his mental health