Bucs Release Brooks, Four Others
UPDATED (2:43 p.m.)...
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released linebacker Derrick Brooks, perhaps the best player in franchise history, and four other veteran players, the team has announced.
Also cut were tailback Warrick Dunn, linebacker Cato June and wide receivers Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard.
The moves come as part of the team's reshaping of its roster under new general manager Mark Dominik and recently promoted head coach Raheem Morris.
"Our family and the entire Tampa Bay community owe Derrick an indescribable measure of gratitude for all that he has meant over the last 14 years," Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a written statement released by the team. "His play on the field and leadership in the locker room helped resurrect our franchise and we look forward to celebrating his certain enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Brooks, who turns 36 in April, had spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Buccaneers. He'd been named to 11 NFC Pro Bowl teams, including this past season's squad. He played for the Buccaneers' Super Bowl-winning club in the 2002 season, and has been one of the league's most widely respected players.
"I have had the fortune of being here for all 14 seasons of Derrick's extraordinary career, and have seen firsthand the impact he has had on every aspect of this organization," Dominik said in a written statement. "He was a true professional in every sense of the word. He will forever represent the standard by which all future Buccaneers are measured."
But the Buccaneers apparently are seeking to move younger players into more prominent roles after unraveling late in the season to miss the playoffs and then firing Jon Gruden as their coach and Bruce Allen as their general manager.
Galloway, 37, had only 13 catches in nine games this past season. That ended a string of three straight seasons in which he'd topped 1,000 receiving yards. Galloway has 682 catches in a 14-year NFL career that also has included stints with the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. He spent the last five seasons with the Buccaneers.
Dunn, 34, returned to the Buccaneers this past season and ran for 786 yards in 15 games. He's rushed for 10,967 yards in a dozen NFL seasons. His career began with five seasons in Tampa. He spent six years with the Atlanta Falcons before making his return to Tampa.
"Warrick Dunn has represented this organization on so many levels with his unselfishness on and off the field," Dominik said. "He is a great football player and unmatched competitor. Warrick's work in the community is evident by the number of people he has touched with his kindness."
June, 29, spent two seasons with the Buccaneers after four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Hilliard, who turns 33 in April, had 47 catches this past season and has 546 catches in his 12-year NFL career with the New York Giants and Buccaneers.
"All of these guys are very special in our hearts and within our organization," Morris said in a written statement released by the Buccaneers. "I would like to thank them for their dedication and commitment to our franchise over the years."
By
Mark Maske
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February 25, 2009; 1:10 PM ET
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Buccaneers
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Posted by: oakleafmold | February 25, 2009 3:01 PM
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Not a Bucs fan, so I don't care all that much, but cutting a guy like Brooks is what's wrong with the NFL, the salary cap, and the Buccaneers. You just don't cut the 14 year veteran leader after yet another pro bowl, especially when he's not being pressed by a younger, more capable player. The new regime hopes one of the younger players will step up, but.... This one is going to bite them on the butt.