AP

Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL, is now poised to become the first openly gay player in the CFL, as he has signed with the Montreal Alouettes. But Sam doesn’t want to be known as Canada’s gay football player.

Sam said today that he only wants to be known as a football player, and he’s eager to get on the field with his team.

“I’m just here to play football,” Sam said. “I’m not trying to do anything historic, I’m just trying to win some games.”

Sam acknowledged that his preferred choice would have been to make it in the NFL, but when he realized that wasn’t in the cards he started talking to Alouettes General Manager Jim Popp, and got excited about the possibility of playing in Canada.

“I decided to come to Canada when I figured I wasn’t going to be in an NFL camp. Montreal had my rights, we’ve been negotiating with Jim Popp, and now here I am,” Sam said.

Sam should be on the field in his first regular-season game in less than a month, as the Alouettes open the season at Ottawa on June 25.