Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted in to the NFL, hasn't given up on his pro-football dreams. Sam, who was released from the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys, will take a break from "Dancing with the Stars" to participate in the NFL veteran combine on March 22. It's a chance to reignite his NFL career, an opportunity that Sam told Oprah back in December that he was ready and waiting for.
"How long will you hold onto that dream, that some team will call?" Oprah asked Sam in the above clip from his December "Oprah Prime" interview.
"As long as I can," Sam said. "I'm willing to hold on as long as I can, but you know what, the NFL doesn't stand for National Football League. It stands for Not For Long."
Though realistic about his chances, Sam said he's still fresh and "ready to start all over again."
"You're going to try?" Oprah asked.
"Yes," Sam said. "I believe good things are on the horizon."
Also in the interview, Sam addressed the reason he was released from two teams. "Do you think now that the reason why you are not with a team is because you weren't good enough to play?" Oprah asked. "Or because you are gay?"
"I don't like to think that way," Sam said. "But I do believe I'm a very talented football player and I'm going to continue on working hard and trying to get that opportunity to play in the league."
His release from the Cowboys' practice squad was just business, he said. "I did everything I was told to do. I was on a scout team. There was nothing I could do, the roster was full already and I had to go."
More from the interview: Michael Sam on other gay players in the NFL.
