The drama surrounding linebacker Stephen Tulloch's status as a Detroit Lion came to an end Tuesday, when the team officially released him.
Tulloch was informed in February that he was no longer in the team’s plans for the 2016 season, but it didn’t make any immediate move and paid him a $500,000 roster bonus in March, leaving many wondering what the Lions' plans were, exactly.
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Lions head coach Jim Caldwell bid Tulloch farewell and wished him luck on his future endeavors.
“As I have said numerous times since I became head coach of the Lions, Stephen Tulloch has been a consummate professional on and off the field,” Caldwell said in a statement. “We thank him for his contributions to the Lions and the Detroit community and wish him the very best in all his future endeavors."
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions were waiting for Tulloch, who suffered a torn ACL in 2014 but played every game last season, to pass a physical and that the team felt no rush to clear up his status because it had already paid out the roster bonus. That is why they waited so long to cut him.
Tulloch, 31, joined the Lions in 2011 after spending the first five years of his career playing for the Tennessee Titans. He has 942 tackles with 14.5 sacks and five interceptions in his 10-year career.