Reports: Lions decide to part ways with Rogers
ESPN.com news services
Updated: January 23, 2008, 2:59 PM ET
The
Detroit Lions have decided to part ways with defensive tackle
Shaun Rogers, according to reports in Detroit.
The Lions have decided to trade or release Rogers, according to reports. Coach Rod Marinelli and team spokesman Bill Keenist have both said they expect all players under contract to return.
Rogers, who has served one four-game suspension for taking a banned dietary supplement and could face an eight-game suspension if he tests positive again, has three years left on his contract.
In addition, Rogers, who was coming off knee and shoulder surgeries last offseason, was listed at 340 pounds but weighed at least 360.
Rogers, who has been to two Pro Bowls, had a good start to the season and was named NFC defensive player of the week after returning a 66-yard interception for a touchdown and recording 2½ sacks in the Lions' 44-7 victory over the
Denver Broncos in Week 9. But in the six-game losing streak that followed, he disappeared.
On Jan. 17, Marinelli said that he expects every player under contract to report for the Lions' offseason conditioning program, including Rogers, but he realized that Rogers' weight would be an issue.
"He was a good player for us for nine games," Marinelli said at the time. "But it's the endurance all the way through the season, that's what I'm looking for."
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