Oprah Winfrey's Network Postpones Michael Sam's Documentary

Oprah has punted, for now, on a planned documentary series about openly gay NFL draftee Michael Sam.

The Oprah Winfrey Network announced Friday it will postpone the untitled documentary, claiming it didn’t want to hurt the fledgling football star’s chances of making it onto the St. Louis Rams.

The team drafted Sam, the first openly gay player drafted by the National Football League, last week in a ground-breaking moment for professional sports.

Cameramen for the documentary would have followed the former University of Missouri defensive end as he tried to earn a spot on the squad.

The show’s air date and the number of episodes were never announced.

OWN Network president Erik Logan said postponing the documentary would give “Michael the best opportunity to achieve his dream of making the team.”

“OWN is about elevating and empowering people to achieve their best,” he said in a statement. “It’s clear that we, along with the world, recognize the important opportunity that Michael now has in this moment.”

Cameron Weiss, Sam’s agent at Empire Athletes, said the decision to sideline the documentary was made after a discussion with Sam and the Rams.

“This will allow for Michael to have a total focus on football, and will ensure no distractions to his teammates,” Weiss said.

The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Sam made history Saturday when the Rams took him in the seventh round. The 249th overall pick celebrated the moment by hugging and kissing his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano.

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