St. Louis Rams Drop Michael Sam

NFL's first openly gay player, Michael Sam, was cut by the St. Louis Rams in its roster of players.

The team announced their final 53-man roster last Saturday but sadly Sam was not included in the list.

On his Twitter page, Sam thanked the entire team for the opportunity. "I want to thank the entire Rams organization and the city of St Louis for giving me this tremendous opportunity and allowing me to 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. The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues," he posted.

The Guardian discussed that Sam could still make it to the NFL but he will have to play with another team or he can choose to return as a practice-squad player of the Rams.

In a news conference, Rams' head coach Jeff Fisher said that the team which will eventually choose Sam in the future will have "no challenges whatsoever" with the player.

"There's no challenge with respect to Mike Sam, 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," Fisher was quoted by The Guardian as saying.

In an article by New York Daily News, NFL general manager Bill Polian explained that Sam's lifestyle was never a factor in the decision.

"I was not at all surprised he wasn't claimed. As you know, I've said from the outset, he's a one-dimensional player, a designated pass rusher. At this stage of the game, 4-3 teams pretty much have their lineups set," Polian added.

In a similar report, Yahoo Sports said that Sam did everything he could for the team but his effort was still not enough to make the cut.

The player was picked during the seventh round of the draft last May. Yahoo Sports said Sam delivered well during the preseason - leading his team in games against the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns.

It was, however, noted that his chances of making the team got slimmer when the undrafted Ethan Westbrooks did equally well during the preseason games. Sam also had to face a tough line of competitors.

Sam can still have a chance at securing a spot at the team since there are still possible changes in the bottom of the roster in the coming week, said New York Daily News.