Michael Sam quit team after ‘hounding’ from press, manager says
The coach of the Montreal Alouettes has discussed out footballer Michael Sam’s decision to quit his team.
Sam made history last year when he became the first openly gay player to be drafted to the NFL – serving short stints with the St Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys, before being cut from both teams.
The football star last month announced he would move to the Canadian Football League and join the Alouettes – only to quit last week citing “personal reasons”.
Jim Popp, General Manager of the Alouettes, opened up about the player’s decision to leave.
He told the Montreal Gazette: “There’s nothing to tell you. He wanted to go home, and that’s what he did. I don’t know why. When a guy wants to go home, they go home. He had some personal things to take care of.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he returns. I’m surprised he left. I was very surprised. If he doesn’t come back, I would think football’s over for him. He’s the one that has to face that.
“But I don’t think he doesn’t want to play football. That’s why he came here.
He continued: “It’s a huge story because everybody keeps hounding and hounding and hounding. Michael Sam just wants to be a football player.
“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. I would think so.
“That’s one reason he didn’t want to do interviews and just concentrate on football.”
