It's a $100,000 question, one that apparently has some of Michael Sam's teammates steaming mad.

It would have been wonderful if the Sam chatter had ended after he finally made his CFL debut Friday night in Ottawa.

It would have been great for the Montreal Alouettes if Sam, a 6-foot-2, 260-lb. defensive lineman, had done something in the 12 plays he was on the field against the RedBlacks. Sam did zilch. Zero. Nada. Despite that, the TV cameras zoomed in. It was historic, yadda, yadda, yadda.

But professional football's first openly gay player has more to worry about than getting playing time in an Alouettes lineup that needs to find some spark soon, with a 2-4 start to the CFL season. It looks like it's a mess in the Alouettes locker room. And it all centres around Sam, the former NFL seventh-round draft choice who while at the University of Missouri two years ago declared he was gay.

The Montreal Gazette's Herb Zurkowsky says more and more players are privately criticizing the preferential treatment given to Sam, the poster boy. He's become a distraction.

Sam walked out on the team during training camp (for "personal reasons," he said), returning two weeks later. But what is bothering his teammates is that he's been drawing a full salary -- $100,000 -- even when he hasn't been in the lineup. So while he wasn't playing, the Alouettes should have placed him on the practice squad, but instead kept him on the 46-man active roster, ensuring a full payday.

On Friday night, Sam played on the boundary (short side of the field). It was on his side where RedBlacks QB Henry Burris faked a handoff to Chevon Walker, pulled the ball back and tossed an 11-yard TD pass to Patrick Lavoie in Ottawa's 26-23 win.

With microphones and cameras in his face following the game, Sam had little to say. You'd think he wouldn't have been at any loss for words given that he had invoked the cone of silence to the media in the past month and a half.

"I was focusing on my assignments, actually," Sam said. "That's what I was focusing on. I'm not going to lie ... (there were) jitters out there. I was nervous when I first got on the field."

As far as self-assessment, Sam said: "As the game went on, I thought I played ... I really didn't get a lot of opportunities to make any plays. I had some good pass rushes, I thought, but you know, not close enough, it's not a sack."

Alouettes coach Tom Higgins, who just one day before the game in Ottawa, wouldn't confirm Sam would be in the lineup, has already declared the rookie will play Thursday in Montreal against Edmonton. So who won't play? Will it be Darrin Kitchens, who was injured Friday, but it's nothing serious? Or what about Aaron Lavarias, due to come off the six-game injured list? Zurkowsky said both deserve to play.

And if the Alouettes once again push Sam to the sidelines, how do they continue to justify giving a backup to the backup a full pay cheque?

Sigh, the Sam saga continues. This time it's not about his sexual preference.

Twitter: @TimCBaines