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Michael Sam documentary airs on Oprah Winfrey Network

michael sam
Karen Mitchell
/
KBIA

  Michael Sam dismissed the thought that his sexuality has cost him a spot in the NFL.

"I don't like to think that way," Sam said in an Oprah Winfrey Network documentary that aired Saturday night. The first openly gay player drafted in the NFL has no regrets.

Sam said coming out as gay was the right thing to do. He would have preferred the news come out after he informed the team that drafted him, but he feared it would be revealed and felt pressure to control the situation.

The production was billed as the player's first TV appearance since being cut by the Dallas Cowboys in mid-October and played like a personal "Hard Knocks." The 90-minute program was followed by a one-on-one with Winfrey, who asked Sam whether he believed sexual orientation is hurting his chances.

Sam spent seven weeks on the Cowboys' practice squad before being released and is currently a free agent.

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