League rules prevented the Pittsburgh Steelers from being able to let go of running back Chris Rainey — who was arrested on charges of slapping his girlfriend last month — until after the Super Bowl.
However, the additional time didn’t change the organization’s decision. As Bob Labriola of Steelers.com reports, Rainey was officially released by the team on Monday, the first day he was eligible to be dropped from the roster.
In his rookie year, Rainey ran for 102 yards with two touchdowns on 26 carries and added 14 receptions for 60 yards with the Steelers. In the return game, the 5-9, 180-pound Rainey also averaged 5.3 yards (16 total yards) on three punt returns and gained 1,035 yards on 39 kick returns (26.5 yards per return).
Photo Via Deadspin
He was selected in the fifth round (159th overall) in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Florida, where he also set a Southeastern Conference career-record with six blocked punts.
Rainey, 24, who also had two other run-ins with the law during his rookie season, pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct charges to settle the case involving his girlfriend.
He’s now eligible to be claimed by any NFL team and will become an unrestricted free agent if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Michael Gartman is a College Football and NFL Senior Writer, the AFC South and NFC West Lead Writer and the Founder, CEO of GridironGrit.com. He’s also about to start reporting on topics across all sides of the political spectrum and analyze important issues in the liberty movement for a political website. Follow him @_MichaelGartman on Twitter.
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