Michael Sam's football career is over if he doesn't return, Montreal Alouettes general manager Jim Popp warned.

The Alouettes newly-signed player asked to leave the camp on Friday, citing "personal reasons" to go home to Texas, according to NBC. Now, the Alouettes suspended Sam and the team's GM gave strong statements about the player's decision.

"I wouldn'€™t be surprised if he returns. I'€™m surprised he left. I was very surprised. If he doesn'™t come back, I would think football'€™s over for him...œThere'€™s nothing to tell you. He wanted to go home, and that'™s what he did. I don'€™t know why. When a guy wants to go home, they go home. He had some personal things to take care of," Popp recently told the Montreal Gazette.

The exact reason for Sam's absence is still unknown, but the 25-year-old football player's agent told the Gazette that his client "was suffering from migraine."

The first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team, who eventually struck a deal with the Alouttes, seemed to have been pressured by the tremendous expectations of the media, football fans and even himself.

It seems the initial reaction to Sam's leaving was shock. After all, the player was very excited when his new role in Montreal was announced.

So, what changed? Apparently, it had something to do with a recent incident involving his new team. A source told the Gazette that Sam took a teammate's criticism very seriously. "€œAll I know is I heard somebody made a comment about him, about how he wasn't very good and wasn't having a very good camp. He took it personally and was pouting in his room. It'€™s very strange. I have no idea what's going on. He might have a personal issue," said the source.

The insider also observed that the 6-foot-2, 260-pound Sam does not connect socially to his co-players that much. "He kind of stuck to himself,"€ the source added.

Another source told the site that the hope of seeing Sam play again with the Montreal team is currently "nonexistent."

Sam has yet to issue an official statement about his suspension.

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