Michael Sam tweets his departure from football, citing mental health

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

Source: ESPN

Michael Sam will step away from professional football, he announced via Twitter on Friday night.

Sam, the 25-year-old who began the season with the CFL's Montreal Alouettes, cited a tumultuous past year for leaving football at this time.

The Alouettes confirmed in a release that Sam has left the club for "personal reasons" and that he has been added to the team's suspended list.

Sam made the announcement in a series of three tweets.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13440475/michael-sam-announces-stepping-away-football

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[onecaliberal]

1. That makes me so sad.

[Omaha Steve]

3. It will be a long time before another gay comes out before being a NFL success first

He was the SEC best defensive player.

Your right. So sad.

[onecaliberal]

5. He was way more than talented enough to play in the NFL.

It's a damn shame that he felt so bad about his treatment it caused his mental health to deteriorate.

[Still In Wisconsin]

6. Best defensive player in the SEC = hell of a talented baller.

You're right. What a damned shame. Dude was a beast at Mizzou.

[7962]

7. I think it may be more to do with the breakup of his relationship.

He was taking that hard when it happened. maybe he just couldnt focus on football

[fbc]

13. nah, he really wasn't

It's tough to make the leap to the NFL. Sometimes great college players do not have the physical attributes necessary, and sometimes the opposite happens where mediocre college careers are overlooked for physical attributes. Either way, the level of success in college does not necessarily translate.

Sam, a linebacker in college, projected to a 4-3 DE in the pros. So, that rules out around half the teams in the NFL, the ones that play a 3-4, immediately. And unless he was a sensational pass rusher, he's small for a 4-3 DE. If a team is going to try and develop a project at DE they'd rather start with a bigger, more athletic player that would have more upside if he does make it.

On one hand, I think he would make an interesting project for my team, the Eagles, because Chip Kelly likes high character players. But Kelly runs the 4-3. Sam certainly can't play on the line. The Eagles DEs have several inches on him and outweigh him by 40-50 pounds. So, OLB? The Eagles just promoted Brandon Graham, a 13th pick in the 1st round five years ago. They drafted an OLB in the first round last year and he can't get on the field. It's not as easy as showing up and saying, "I was a star in the SEC, sign me up"

That said, I hope everything works out for him and he gets through his current issues.

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. Being a great college player doesn't always lead to being a great pro player

Just ask Tim Tebow.

[madaboutharry]

2. That is sad.

I hope he finds a way to be happy.

[AngryAmish]

4. Word on the street is he is partying a lot.

Really living every bit of life as a famous dude.

[JI7]

10. don't a lot of sports players do that

[dsc]

12. yeah but if you do it too much

and don't back it up on the field their can be Hell to pay. Just ask Johnny Manzel.

[Yupster]

21. Also it depends who you are

Teams will let a star quarterback or running back or receiver get away with a lot more than they'll let a marginal lineman get away with. If you're on the offensive or defensive line, you need to not give the coach any problems.

[dsc]

8. In the 40's

they were very careful who they picked to redesegregate major league baseball, a luxury they could afford since there were hundreds of black players from which to choose. Michael Sam clearly was talented enough to play but couldn't handle the immense pressure. I fear it will be years, if not a decade or more, before the next player willing to do this comes along. Baseball has one in the minors now, I have no idea if his talent level is such that he can make the majors.

[former9thward]

19. He was not talented enough for the NFL.

That is why he was in the CFL. He was too small and too slow to play his positions in the NFL.

[Botany]

9. I wish him well

Too small to play D-line and too slow to play linebacker .... I hope Michael finds joy
in his life.

[brush]

15. That is what it was all about. He wasn't quite good enough

In the one game he played in the CFL he didn't have a single tackle.

He just wasn't good enough to make the jump from college to professional football.

It happens. Tim Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback in college hasn't made the jump to the pros either.

Time to move on with life for Sam.

I wish him well.

[Botany]

16. He was a great player in big time college football but just not right for the pro game.

but @ 6' 2" and 250 he is too small to play d-line where he would be up against players who
average >300 LBS and are at least 6' 5" and he was too slow to play linebacker and came in
dead last in the bench press ...... # of times benching 220 LBS.

I have watched and been a fan of Ohio State for 40 years and I have seen really good buckeye
players get cut from NFL teams in the first round a number of times.

I got a chance to speak w/a former OSU O lineman (NFL all pro) and asked him what were the differnces between
the levels that he played at and he said:

(something like)

High School he was the best player on the field and once or twice a season he would play a team
that had another player that was about his equal

Ohio State ....... 5 to 10 players of great skill on his team and against other big time teams he would
see a few players that were at his level ...... Michigan and USC always had as many if not more players
as good as he was.

NFL Everybody was crazy good and that included the "worst teams."

Sam couldn't even make the practice squad for 2 NFL teams or even play @ the CFL level.

Mike might make a good high school coach and teacher or somerhing else ..... I wish him well
and hope that he finds his joy. Being gay had little to do w/him not making the cut in the NFL.

[Imajika]

20. Yup, great collegiate player but not able to make the jump to the NFL...

This is very common. Nothing really unusual about it.

The Rams and the Cowboys gave him a shot and he wasn't able to remain on their practice squad. As a Dallas fan, I followed Sam's progress. He got a lot of compliments from the Cowboy's coaches for working hard, doing everything that was asked of him, staying away from the media, etc, but there are just too many other guys that have the needed physical attributes that Sam was lacking for the position he wanted to play.

The NFL is absolutely cut throat, and only a tiny % of college players will ever make it in the pro's.

Sam can still remain around football. He can get into coaching at some level, try his hand at broadcasting, etc.

In time there will be plenty of openly gay NFL players.

[dsc]

11. One other thing I just thought of

I wonder how isolated he felt up in Montreal. I presume he doesn't speak French.

[a la izquierda]

18. I go there frequently.

It's not a big deal at all. Maybe in rural Quebec, that would be a factor, but young Quebecois who live in Montreal are almost all bilingual (and often trilingual at that).

[romanic]

14. Very sad.

I think being thrust into the spotlight just because of his sexuality made things complicated; add that along with his breakup in his relationship and the high expectations placed upon him - that's so much stress. I hope Michael gets the help he needs.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. I think he probably realized he didn't have the talent to ever play at the highest level

although he was an extraordinary college star. That step up to the top pro level is a big one for many college stars.