IRVING, Texas -- Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by an NFL team, has been signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice-squad, has been assigned jersey No. 46 and is "excited to be a Cowboy.''
"It has all happened so quickly, but it's exciting,'' Sam tells the Daily Mail. "I just wanna get back to playing football.''
Amid the frenzy -- national media outlets reported the Cowboys would conduct a "Michael Sam/Jason Garrett press conference on Tuesday morning'' when in fact the session was the head coach's usual media session -- the Cowboys are trying to keep this all about football.
They have released rookie linebacker Will Smith from Texas Tech to make room on the 10-man practice squad, and they are quick to acknowledge that Sam, despite his college success at Missouri as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year - is a long-shot to help this team even as it is desperate for pass-rush help.
"We feel like he has a chance to come in and compete for a (pracrtice-squad) spot,'' Garrett said. "We got nothing but good reports about him. This is about football. We evaluated him as a football player. Our attention is on football."
Sam, who grew up in Texas, tells the Daily Mail, “I never followed the Cowboys growing up because I never had a team. I am a fan of defenses and Dallas need some help, that’s why I’m going.''
Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams this past weekend after drafting him in the seventh round in May. The Cowboys did not have the pass-rusher on their draft board. There will be speculation about marketing opportunities and stories about the social impact of the signing. But first, both parties -- Sam and the Cowboys -- need to focus on football.
