Michael Sam left the Montreal Alouettes the day before their preseason opener for "personal reasons," the team said.
The exact nature of why he left isn't known yet. According to a statement from the team, Sam asked for permission to return home for personal reasons. The team granted that request and said "the nature of this decision will remain confidential."
"The Montreal Alouettes fully respect Michael Sam's decision and rally around him to offer him all time and support needed," the statement, via Jamie Thomas of sportsnet.ca, said. "The team has left the door open and Michael is welcome to come back whenever he feel ready."
This could be related to just about anything, but the statement doesn't sound like this was a quick trip home to deal with a family-related matter and he plans to be back in a day or two. But there's no indication why Sam asked to go back home.
Sam, who had been out of work since the Dallas Cowboys released him off their practice squad during last season, signed on with the Alouettes on May 22. Sam was the first openly gay player to ever be drafted into the NFL, when the St. Louis Rams chose him in the seventh round in 2014.
Rick Moffat, the play-by-play voice of the Alouettes for TSN, tweeted that he saw Sam at the airport, but with only a small Cotton Bowl bag with him, a sign to Moffat that Sam wasn't bailing on the team for good.
Sam hadn't practiced on Thursday or Friday, and reports said it was because of a migraine headache. TSN said initial reports indicated the illness would knock Sam out of the Alouette's preseason opener on Saturday. Alouettes coach Tom Higgins said Friday that Sam had been at team meetings on Thursday night and he was surprised Sam wasn't out at the Friday workout, the Montreal Gazette reported.
Media reports indicated Sam had been struggling to adjust. The Montreal Gazette said Sam "started slowly at camp" and was mostly working with the third-team defense. The Gazette report also said Sam was slowly improving, though.
The exact nature of why he left isn't known yet. According to a statement from the team, Sam asked for permission to return home for personal reasons. The team granted that request and said "the nature of this decision will remain confidential."
"The Montreal Alouettes fully respect Michael Sam's decision and rally around him to offer him all time and support needed," the statement, via Jamie Thomas of sportsnet.ca, said. "The team has left the door open and Michael is welcome to come back whenever he feel ready."
This could be related to just about anything, but the statement doesn't sound like this was a quick trip home to deal with a family-related matter and he plans to be back in a day or two. But there's no indication why Sam asked to go back home.
Sam, who had been out of work since the Dallas Cowboys released him off their practice squad during last season, signed on with the Alouettes on May 22. Sam was the first openly gay player to ever be drafted into the NFL, when the St. Louis Rams chose him in the seventh round in 2014.
Rick Moffat, the play-by-play voice of the Alouettes for TSN, tweeted that he saw Sam at the airport, but with only a small Cotton Bowl bag with him, a sign to Moffat that Sam wasn't bailing on the team for good.
Sam hadn't practiced on Thursday or Friday, and reports said it was because of a migraine headache. TSN said initial reports indicated the illness would knock Sam out of the Alouette's preseason opener on Saturday. Alouettes coach Tom Higgins said Friday that Sam had been at team meetings on Thursday night and he was surprised Sam wasn't out at the Friday workout, the Montreal Gazette reported.
Media reports indicated Sam had been struggling to adjust. The Montreal Gazette said Sam "started slowly at camp" and was mostly working with the third-team defense. The Gazette report also said Sam was slowly improving, though.
