WATCH: The Montreal Alouettes have signed ex-NFL player Michael Sam to a two-year deal. Sams was the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.
TORONTO – The Montreal Alouettes have signed ex-NFLer Michael Sam to a two-year deal, the CFL club announced Friday.
Sam joins the CFL after spending 2014 in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.
“With the signing of Michael Sam, we have become a better organization today,” said Alouettes’ general manager Jim Popp in a press release. “Not only have we added an outstanding football player, we have added even a better person that brings dignity, character, and heart to our team.”
The 25-year-old attended the University of Missouri where he played with the Tigers in the NCAA for four years. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft by the Rams.
“I cannot wait to put on the pads, get back on the field and work hard each and every day with my teammates to bring a Grey Cup to the great fans here in Montreal,” Sam said in a statement.
The defensive end was the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.
When Sam was drafted, U.S. President Barack Obama publicly congratulated the player and the Rams for their courage.
CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge did the same on Friday.
“Congratulations to the Montreal Alouettes on the signing of Michael Sam,” Orridge said in a statement. “Our players come to us from different places, different walks of life and ultimately they take different paths to get to our fields.
“Today is another indication of how open and progressive the CFL is – consistent with our rich and storied history of great football tradition.”
Sam will be introduced at a news conference in Montreal on Tuesday
-with files from The Canadian Press
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