(Reuters) - Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL, was suspended by the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes on Monday after the defensive lineman left the team's training camp last week for unexplained personal reasons.
Sam walked away from the Alouettes on Friday, one day before the team's pre-season opener, a 26-9 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks. By suspending Sam, the team freed up a roster spot and will retain his rights.
"There's nothing to tell you. He wanted to go home, and that's what he did," Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp told the Montreal Gazette.