Michael Sam's Twitter account is still @MichaelSamNFL. He hasn't been employed by the NFL since late October.
But Sam hasn't given up. He has been accepted to participate in the first NFL veteran combine on March 22 in Arizona. That news was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Vince Young will reportedly be there too. The former University of Texas quarterback has signed up to participate, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said. Young will turn 32 in May and hasn't played in an NFL regular-season game since 2011 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's a combine that will be similar to the college one, with position drills and physical tests, for NFL veterans who are free agents. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that about 100 players were expected to be invited.
Sam, of course, is still vying to be the first openly gay player to appear in an NFL regular-season game. The defensive end out of Missouri was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams last year. He was cut at the end of a fairly productive preseason, and the Rams didn't sign him to their practice squad. The Dallas Cowboys signed him to their practice squad but cut him on Oct. 21.
Sam has signed up to be on "Dancing with the Stars," but the NFL door isn't closed for him. It's not going to be easy for him though. Any team could have signed him since the Cowboys cut him, but that hasn't happened. Maybe a good workout will help him. An underwhelming performance at the college combine a year ago probably negatively affected his draft stock. He is viewed as not big enough to be an NFL defensive end and not explosive athletically enough to overcome that or transition to outside linebacker. Maybe he could change what the NFL thinks of him with a great veteran combine.
It'll be tougher for Young to change perceptions at the veteran combine. The NFL knows him well, as the third overall pick of the 2006 draft. Since he was with the Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns have given him chances and he hasn't stuck. There are many NFL teams who need help at quarterback and haven't signed Young. Maybe a strong performance at the veteran combine can help him, because his NFL career seems dead at this point.
The veteran combine was created not only as an efficient way for NFL teams to work out free agents, but for former NFL players who still want a shot in the league. It will be up to invitees like Young and Sam to take advantage.
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