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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Michael Sam waited and waited. Hours passed, rounds came and went, and eventually, there were only eight more picks left on the third and final day of the NFL draft. For just a moment, it looked as if his chance of being picked by a pro team and becoming the leagues first openly gay player might take a detour. Or at least be delayed. The call finally came Saturday from the St. Louis Rams, the team right down the road from where Sam played his college ball at the University of Missouri. Sam was selected in the seventh and final round and admitted it was a frustrating wait. He said teams that passed on him chickened out and he should have been drafted sooner. "From last season alone, I shouldve been in the first three rounds. SEC Defensive Player of the Year, All-American," Sam said. He stopped short of directly saying his stock dropped in the draft because he came out. "You know what, who knows? Who knows? Only the people who sit in the war room know," he said. "They saw Michael Sam, day after day they scratched it off the board. That was their loss. But St. Louis kept me on that board. And you know what I feel like Im a (Jadeveon) Clowney, a first draft pick. Im proud of where I am now." Sam came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best year of his career: He was the co-defensive player of the year in the NCAAs best football conference and had 11.5 sacks. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day, No. 4 overall, came and went, no Sam. Then the fifth and sixth, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake — and another kiss. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, with a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The six-foot-two, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted. He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and Canadas McGill University — Redmen tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif went in the sixth round, 200th overall to Kansas City — were taken ahead of Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The NFL had no comment on Sam being drafted. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. "Michael Sam wouldnt have been drafted five years ago," said former Viking punter Chris Kluwe, who has accused Minnesota of cutting him in part because of his vocal support for gay rights. In the last year, NBA veteran Jason Collins has come out publicly as gay, and is now playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Collins said before the Nets playoff game against the Heat that he was watching the draft and texted Sam after he was picked. "Its a great day for Michael and his family and for the NFL," Collins said. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL — coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports — was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. But all the reaction to Sams news wasnt positive from the league. Miami safety Don Jones posted a one-word tweet, "Horrible" shortly after Sam was drafted. It was later taken down. The teams general manager said he was aware, and was disappointed. Wade Davis, a gay former NFL player who is now the executive director of the gay rights advocacy group "You Can Play," said Sam only needs to do his job to have an impact beyond the field. "Michael Sam doesnt have to be a vocal advocate (for gay rights)," Davis said. "His visibility is his advocacy." Connor Williams Jersey . Jackson Houck added a goal and two assists for the Giants (28-23-10), who halted a five-game slide, while Tyler Morrison, Mason Geertsen and Dominik Volek each scored once. Matt Bellerive scored both goals for the Blazers (12-43-5), who are 1-9-0 in their last 10 outings. Chidobe Awuzie Cowboys Jersey . Head of clinic Josef Obrist tells the Austria Press Agency on Thursday that Morgenstern "is doing surprisingly well. ... He still has a memory gap but thats nothing unusual." Morgenstern has moved to a rehabilitation clinic in Klagenfurt for further recovery. http://www.cowboysfootballgearshop.com/mike-white-jersey/. The 155th edition of the Plate for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America, will be televised live on TSN in HD (High Definition) in a special presentation from 4:30 – 6:00 pm ET. Post time is 5:38 pm. Tavon Austin Cowboys Jersey . -- The Los Angeles Clippers chose not to speak publicly about owner Donald Sterling before they faced the Golden State Warriors for Game 4 of their first-round series Sunday. Custom Cowboys Jerseys . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell.ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Manchester United thrilled a record crowd with a brilliant opening goal -- and even Cristiano Ronaldos unexpected entrance proved futile for Real Madrid. Ashley Young scored twice in the first half, and United beat Madrid 3-1 on Saturday in front of 109,318 fans at Michigan Stadium. It was the largest crowd to see a soccer game in the United States, breaking the mark of 101,799 set at the Rose Bowl for the 1984 Olympic final. Ronaldo has been recovering from the left leg injury that limited him in the World Cup, but the world player of the year came on surprisingly as a 74th-minute substitute, although he didnt have much impact. "His condition is improving," manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "I think that he needs another week to train with the teammates, and then I think he will be ready for the first game of the season." United remained unbeaten this year in the International Champions Cup, advancing to the final of the preseason tournament under new manager Louis van Gaal. Javier Hernandez added a goal in the second half for the English power. Gareth Bale scored for Real Madrid, but the European champions finished winless in three matches in the event. Although United will play Liverpool in Monday nights final in Miami, this was probably the tournaments marquee match, with two of the games most storied clubs playing at one of the largest and most iconic venues in the U.S. "That was incredible," Uniteds Michael Keane said. "Obviously, it is the biggest crowd Ive ever played in front of, and it is for a friendly in the States. Ive always heard they dont care for our football, but there were 109,000 people out there. Thats pretty crazy anywhere in the world." Youngs first goal was the highlight. Wayne Rooney flicked a clever back-heel to Darren Fletcher, who found Danny Welbeck in the middle, near the edge of the penalty area..ddddddddddddWelbeck played Young in on the left, and his low shot beat goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "It was a fantastic goal," van Gaal said. "All the team has touched the ball, I think. Only for that goal, you come to the stadium." Bale equalized in the 27th minute, converting a penalty kick after being pulled down by Keane. Young put United back ahead in the 37th minute, playing a long cross in from the left. Casillas had to maintain his position near the middle of the net because Rooney was a threat to head the ball -- but instead it sailed past the star striker and bounced in at the far post. Hernandez made it 3-1 in the 80th minute, heading past Casillas from close range off a fine cross from Shinji Kagawa. United is hoping to bounce back from a seventh-place finish in England last season -- the team did not even qualify for the second-tier Europa League. Van Gaal is taking over after leading the Netherlands to the semifinals of the World Cup. "Its a new system, and were getting used to it, but were happy with what weve done so far," Young said. "Obviously, it is a great feeling to score two goals, but those were both set up by my teammates. The first one was a beautiful team move." Madrid, meanwhile, won a record 10th European title earlier this year, but Ronaldo and his teammates should be plenty motivated after crosstown rival Atletico Madrid won the league title in Spain. Although Ronaldo played a bit Saturday, several of Ancelottis other stars didnt, including Karim Benzema and newly acquired James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos. "We cant be ready, obviously, the way we are. We have players that just joined up a week ago," Ancelotti said through a translator. "Obviously, the team isnt necessarily accustomed to playing without Cristiano or some other players, but its normal that were going through this." 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