The Barcelona Dragons of the European League of Football have made yet another splash signing. This time luring former SEC defensive player of the year and NFL trailblazer Michael Sam to their coaching staff. The former pro pass rusher is excited to be joining the Dragons coaching staff:
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Barcelona Dragons organization. I want to thank GM Bart Iaccarino, head coach Andrew Weidinger, and the Barcelona team. I hope t contribute however I can to help the defensive line to be the best pass rushers in the European League.”
Sam, 32, was a trailblazer in the NFL boldly coming out as gay prior to the 2014 NFL Draft. Later that year, he made history by becoming the first publicly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. Drafted by the Rams in the seventh round, Sam spent time in St. Louis and with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014 before being released. The NFL’s first-ever openly gay player then went on to play one season in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes.
Prior to his short but impactful pro career, Sam was an All-American at the University of Missouri. In his senior year he was named SEC player of the year racking up 10 sacks, 18 tackles for a loss, and 47 total stops.
2014 Cotton Bowl Champs pic.twitter.com/FqekNC7tLz
— Michael Sam (@MichaelSam52) March 6, 2014
Since his playing days ended in 2014, Sam has won many awards for his LGBTQ activism including GQ’s Man of the year, and Sports Illustrated’s Sportsmen of the year, and has also appeared on dancing with the stars.
Sam will be joning former NFL coach Andrew Weidinger on staff as Barcelona looks to make the playoffs this season, after finishing last year on a high note. Expect Sam to work well with talented defensive lineman Yago Rivera, Jean-Marc Ciocan, and Edwin Elio.
Watch Sam’s NCAA highlights here:
