Michael Sam's departure, suspension discussed by Als: is he done in the CFL?

A weekend after Michael Sam's unexpected departure from the Montreal Alouettes Friday for "personal reasons, " we still haven't heard from Sam's camp about what's going on with him, but the team has officially placed him on the suspended list. That's not an unexpected move; it came as part of teams having to cut their rosters down to 65 players (plus non-counters such as developmental Canadian quarterbacks), and the suspended list allows the Alouettes to retain Sam's rights if he does elect to come back (they've said the door is open for him) without having him occupy one of those roster spots. It's also much less final than cutting him, but it doesn't really tell us much about his situation.. Some comments may provide insight there, though; while Sam and agent Joe Barkett are remaining quiet, plenty of people from the team spoke to Herb Zurkowsky of The Montreal Gazette about what's going on with Sam. Montreal general manager Jim Popp said Sam's departure surprised him, but his return wouldn't be surprising:

Head coach Tom Higgins (who, remember, wasn't informed of Sam's departure in advance, and was surprised he wasn't at practice Friday) didn't sound as interested in his potential return, though:

While some have proposed conspiracy theories that the Alouettes worked this out with Sam behind the scenes to avoid the criticism that would come from cutting him outright, that seems unlikely given the comments from Popp and Higgins, who both seem genuinely surprised by Sam's actions here. Beyond that, while Sam appeared to struggle with adjustments to the Canadian game (including the full-yard neutral zone) at first, reports from Montreal's camp suggest he was making significant progress last week. Sam's a high-profile player with a lot of pass-rushing talent, one the Alouettes invested heavily in, and if he showed any CFL potential (which he apparently did), it's hard to see them wanting to cut him this quickly. Indeed, the team's statement Friday about keeping the door open for him sounds like they're still eager to have Sam come back, at least officially. Some of the comments team sources made to Zurkowsky in return for anonymity are less positive, though, and they may help illuminate what happened here:

That's a ways from the support teammates initially expressed for Sam, but if there was some criticism, that might be understandable. After all, Sam came in with so much hype given his status as the CFL's first openly-gay player (plus his college achievements at Missouri, including a co-SEC defensive player of the year award in 2013), and the team was even selling jerseys with his name and number at training camp; they weren't selling jerseys of any other player. That might have rankled some of the Alouettes' more-proven veterans. Still, a comment about him "not being very good" doesn't seem that inflamnatory, and it hardly seems like a reason to leave the team. There may be more to this story that hasn't yet emerged.

At the moment, the odds seem against Sam ever returning to the Alouettes. Heading home for personal leave is one thing, and something that's usually supported by the CFL and its teams. For example, Edmonton Eskimos' kicker Grant Shaw was allowed to skip Friday's practice and Saturday's exhibition game in Fort McMurray for the birth of his first child. Players who take such leave usually provide at least somewhat of an indication of what it's for, though, and that's what makes Sam's exit so unusual; if he or his agent had simply said "he needs to be home to help a sick relative" or something, this wouldn't have been anywhere as big of a story.

The radio silence from Sam's camp seems to indicate that something else is going on, and the longer Sam stays away, the more the chances of him returning seem to decrease. Even that's odd, though; if Sam had decided the CFL wasn't for him and just said that, he would have disappointed many, but it would have been understandable. (Even the quite-high rookie salary of $100,000 Canadian he's reportedly set to make if he sticks with the Alouettes is likely peanuts next to the numerous non-football opportunities he shouldd have in the U.S.) If that's what's happened, though, it doesn't seem to make much sense to not say it.

It's still quite possible that Sam has left for legitimate reasons and intends to be back. It's also possible that he's taking some time to think about if the CFL is something he really wants to commit to. In either of those scenarios, he'd likely still be welcomed back to Montreal if he makes that decision soon. The longer he stays away, though, the harder it gets for him to return, both in terms of time missed and relationships with coaches and teammates damaged. We'll see what happens with Sam, but unless he elects to return to Canada soon, his time in the CFL may be over.