Michael Sam: I am ‘very confident’ I’ll make a team this season
Out NFL player Michael Sam is “very confident” he has performed well enough to earn a place on his team’s permanent roster.
The defensive football star made history when he was drafted by the St Louis Rams in May, a few months after publicly coming out.
However, before the start of the season next month the Rams must cut its roster from 75 to 53 players, leaving just one spare spot on the team’s defensive line, which is likely to either go to Sam or fellow rookie Ethan Westbrooks.
Both players’ performances in pre-season matches have been praised, leaving uncertainty as to wh
Sam told the Associated Press after his final pre-season match: “I’m very confident.
“I’m going to sleep really well tonight and I’m very confident I’m going to be on a team, the Rams or any other team in the NFL.”
Rams coach Jeff Fischer said previously: “I think they’re both doing well right now. No different than any other positional races on this football team.
“They’re both doing well. You know me, I’m not going to say who’s one or who’s two.”
Last month, former Colts coach Tony Dungy said he wouldn’t have signed Sam, because he “wouldn’t want to deal with all of it”.
American Family Association president Tim Wildmon later leapt to Dungy’s defence, claiming he is worried Sam will be able to see “all that beefcake” in the shower.
It was revealed last month that Sam’s Rams jersey is currently the sixth most sold across the entire NFL, after just two months as a player.