Cowboys Release Michael Sam From Practice Squad

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- The Dallas Cowboys have waived defense end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in NFL history, from the practice squad.

Sam never made the active 53-man roster after signing with Dallas on Sept. 3. The former SEC Defensive Player of the Year instead spent seven weeks on the Cowboys' 10-man practice squad.

Many speculated that the Cowboys made the Sam signing strictly for publicity, something owner Jerry Jones disputed.

Head coach Jason Garrett said the move was made strictly for football reasons.

"We feel like he has a chance to come in and compete for a spot," Garrett said in September. "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 thanked the Cowboys organization on Twitter on Tuesday, vowing to work towards continuing his career in the NFL.

[tweet https://twitter.com/MichaelSamNFL/status/524646475888730112 width='330']

Sam was drafted in the 7th round out of Missouri and spent training camp with St. Louis, where he made it through to the final cuts before being released.

Dallas will sign linebacker Troy Davis and defensive tackle Ken Bishop to the practice squad.

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