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Michael Sam Cut from Rams

Coach says it was a 'football decision.'

The first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL, Michael Sam, was cut from the St. Louis Rams on Saturday. Sam's cut came as NFL teams slimmed their rosters down to 53 players. "I will tell you this, I was pulling for Sam, I really was," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "And I don't say that very often. Mike came in here and did everything we asked him to do." He added, "It was a football decision, and the decision is no different than any other decision we make. It was a football decision. It was a football decision back in May to draft Mike." Sam, who was drafted in the seventh round from the University of Missouri, wrote a series of tweets thanking the Rams for "allowing me to show I can play at this level." He said he looks forward to building on the experience earned with the Rams to work "toward a long and successful career." "The most worthwhile things in life rarely come easy, this is a lesson I've always known. The journey continues," Sam wrote.