Michael Sam Returns to Practice with the CFL After Undisclosed Personal Time

The first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL, Michael Sam, has returned to practice with the Montreal Aloueetes on Monday after a brief leave of absence due to personal reasons.

Sam was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 NFL draft but was cut before the start of the season. He soon found a home in Dallas but remained mostly on the practice squad until he was eventually cut. His most notable NFL play came when he sacked fellow NFL rookie Johnny Manziel in a pre-season game.

Yahoo reports that Sam held a brief news conference upon his return to the field, praising the recent US Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage across all 50 states. When asked on how he helped with the turnaround on the American view on gays in general, Sam quickly deflected the credit to where he thought it was due to.

During the news conference, Sam states, "I don't think I did anything, I am just happy that if I decided to get married one day it will be legal, and that I would like to focus on football more than anything right now." Sam says that the passing of the bill is a historical day in America and that he is very happy to be an American.

After being unable to secure a spot on a NFL roster Sam signed a two-year deal with Montreal, however less than a month into practice Sam left the team for personal reasons. So far Sam has missed the season opener but remains optimistic that he can still help the team for the remainder of the season.

According to Foxsports, Montreal head coach Tom Higgins claims, "The door was always open for his return, there was no doubt that he would come back."

Sam does realize that he still has a lot to learn about how the CFL works with several rules being changed. In the CFL there are only three downs instead of four, the field is longer, and formations are more intricate than its American counterpart.

He has apologized to his team, stating that he is all in and that he has missed the game while he was away. Linebacker Kyries Hebert claims that Sam was greeted with high regards and is hoping that he will be able to build the trust and confidence of his teammates.