Released after just two years, Dominique Easley now holds the distinction of being the worst first round draft pick on the Bill Belichick era, drawing sighs of relief from Lawrence Maroney and Brandon Merriweather.
The Pats took a chance on Easley out of Florida, swayed by his blue chip talent and not deterred by his medical issues. What they got in return was a few stretches of brilliant, disruptive play in between long stints on injured reserve.
The curious timing of the release and it's negative effect on the salary cap (the move will actually cost the Patriots almost a million bucks) indicate that the move was not football related. According to a report from Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Easley was described as "immature", "unreliable", and a "locker room cancer". Not good. Easley also recently suffered injuries from a pit bull bite, and whispers surround Easley about a potential tie to dog fighting. Ask Mike Vick if Roger Goodell looks kindly on dog fighting.
If Easley wasn't a first round pick, this move wouldn't register much, if at all. He wasn't healthy for long enough to care about. However, with the 2016 first rounder taken away for possibly, maybe knowing that the Patriots possibly, maybe deflated footballs, losing another first so quickly into his career really stings. The Pats really need to nail the draft in April.
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