For the second time today, an NFL player facing serious criminal charges has been released.
The Patriots cutting Aaron Hernandez hours after he was arrested in connection with the death of Odin Lloyd will get much more attention, but the Browns have also released linebacker Ausar Walcott, hours after he was charged with attempted murder.
Walcott allegedly punched a man in the head on Sunday, and that man remains hospitalized in critical condition.
An undrafted rookie free agent, Walcott had an uphill battle just to make the Browns’ 53-man roster, so it’s not at all surprising that the Browns decided they’d rather not deal with any distractions his criminal charges could bring. (It is surprising that the Patriots acted faster in cutting Hernandez than the Browns acted in cutting Walcott.) The Browns initially released a statement saying they were aware of the situation and would not comment on an ongoing legal matter, but it didn’t take them long to decide that the simplest statement would be to announce that they cut Walcott.