On Thursday, there was a lot of chatter about the Patriots possibly releasing Chad Ochocinco when he left minicamp early, removed “Patriots WR” from his Twitter page (before adding it again) and unfollowed all his Pats teammates. Turns out it’s probably not chatter, as CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman confirms an earlier report that Ochocinco will be released by New England.
The news, which was announced by the Patriots later on Thursday, was first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, who also reported that the Patriots first tried to trade Ocho but were unsuccessful.
“Thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play for the ‘Patriot’ organization,” Ochocinco tweeted. “Fans were [bleeping] wicked awesome, I wish all of you the best…”
That New England couldn’t deal Ocho isn’t surprising — they acquired the wideout before the 2011 season for a fifth- and sixth-round pick and he didn’t even end up earning that value over the course of the season, catching 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown.
Source: CBSSports.com
