The Sports Xchange

Michael Sam arrived in Montreal to play in the Canadian Football League and said Tuesday that he’s not focused on making history or a social statement.

The first openly gay player in the NFL and now the CFL just wants to get on the field after signing a two-year contract with the Alouettes last week.

Sam was selected in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Missouri and went to training camp with the St. Louis Rams before being cut during the preseason. He caught on with the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad but was released in October.

“I’m not trying to really do anything historic here by being with Montreal. I’m just trying to help the team win some games so we can bring the Grey Cup back home,” Sam said at a news conference.

The 25-year-old Sam encountered difficulty in the NFL because at 6 feet 2, 260 pounds, he did not exactly fit the prototype of a defensive end or an outside linebacker. But Sam and the Alouettes are hoping he can become a pass rusher in the CFL.

“My size fits as a pass-rusher,” said Sam, the 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. “I led my team in preseason in sacks and that was in the NFL, so I’m a pass-rusher. Doesn’t matter where I’m at.”