Michael Sam, first openly gay NFL player, cut from Dallas Cowboys

Michael Sam, defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, was waived from the practice squad on Tuesday.

Sam, a Hitchcock, TX native, made national headlines earlier this year as he became the first openly gay player in NFL history. Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh-round of the NFL draft, playing with the squad in the offseason before he was released. Sam was then signed by the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, but after seven weeks into the NFL season never made it onto the team's roster.

Sam tweeted the following on Tuesday afternoon:

"I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support. While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday."

Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers, where he was an All-American in 2013 and earned 111 total tackles throughout his NCAA career.