The Dallas Cowboys released defensive tackle Dontari Poe and cornerback Daryl Worley on Wednesday after being unable to find interested trade partners for the two veteran players.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was rather blunt in discussing why the team released Poe, who was a free agent addition to the team last March.
“When you’re 30 pounds overweight and you’re not doing anything about what’s keeping you from performing well on the field, there is no reason to get into the other stuff,” Jones said, via Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com.
The “other stuff” refers to Poe being the only Cowboys player that kneels in protest during the national anthem before games. It’s a practice that Jones had been vocally outspoken against in the past. Jones declined to speak on that subject in regards to Poe’s release.
“I understand your question and I’m deliberately not going to answer it,” Jones replied. “We have a platform here but the platform on the football field has a high standard, and he [Poe] was not up to the standard. He needed to correct that and he did not. I’m going to leave it at that.”
Poe signed with Dallas in March on a two-year deal worth $8.5 million. He’d end up appearing in just seven games in a Cowboys’ uniform. Poe started all seven games he played in with seven total tackles.
Poe, Worley and Everson Griffen have all been jettisoned by Dallas this week after being brought in as part of a plan to bolster their defense this offseason.