Pats cut starting DT Love after diabetes diagnosis By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Wed May 15, 11:48 PM UTC The New England Patriots released defensive tackle Kyle Love on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with diabetes. Love had lost about 20 pounds before receiving the diagnosis about two weeks ago then gained about half of it back, Richard Kopelman, his agent, said. He said Love has Type 2 diabetes, which is less serious than Type 1, and was working out at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday before being released. The Patriots did not mention the diagnosis in a statement announcing the move. ``They expressed some concern that they didn't know what the recovery time would be and, in their view, didn't want to leave something to chance,'' Kopelman said. ``That's OK. There are 31 other teams in the NFL.'' Love started the first 11 games last season next to Vince Wilfork. Brandon Deaderick started the last five but was released on Monday and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the offseason, the Patriots signed two free-agent defensive tackles, Tommy Kelly and Armond Armstead. Love joined the Patriots as a rookie free agent out of Mississippi State in 2010 and started 25 of the 41 regular-season games in which he played. ``I think he was, as anybody might be, a bit surprised that a decision would be made in the manner it was, but he completely understands and there's no grudge,'' Kopelman said. ``I'm upset in the sense that I'm disappointed for my client, but football's a tough business. The players are the capital. They're the machines that make the factory work. The teams have the prerogative to decide when they want to buy a new machine and get rid of an older one, not that Kyle's old by any stretch. It is a bit confounding that they would make a decision like that. It seems a bit premature.'' He said that after he consulted with doctors, he expects Love to be ``100 percent'' by the start of training camp. In Type 2 diabetes, which is more common, people can't properly break down carbohydrates because their bodies do not produce enough insulin or they've become resistant to the hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Insulin is needed to turn sugar into energy. In Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after the 2007 season, his second in the NFL. Former Pittsburgh Steelers starting offensive lineman Kendall Simmons was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes before the 2003 season and played until 2009. Love ``should be able to play football without conditions attributable to diabetes,'' Kopelman said. ``I anticipate that he will be on another roster going into training camp and certainly he has every intention of making a 53-man roster.'' The Associated Press
They also surprisingly cut Brandon Deaderick the other day. Besides Wilfork and Kelly, they have zero depth at DT.
Really bad PR move by the Pats but I'm guessing Love was always on the bubble with them. Belichik has always been a "what can you do for me today?" kind of coach. He also really likes having his players fear for their professional careers. He's very much like Bill Parcells in that way.
The Pats went into the offseason looking to upgrade the DT position. While this looks bad from a PR point of view. BB could care less about PR, and being up front with the player and agent right now so he can look into other teams seems alot nicer than holding him until camp then making up a reason to cut him so it looks better. Here is the current Pats depth chart at DT, along with stuff about Love and his contract. The Pats did give him a 2 year deal last year with a nice signing bonus. From ESPN Boston In August of 2012, the Patriots and Love reached a two-year contract extension with a $500,000 signing bonus, and his future with the club appeared bright. But down the stretch of last season, the coaching staff began to limit his playing time in favor of Deaderick. The Patriots will have two open roster spots once they officially release Love, and could potentially look to fill one of them with a defensive tackle. Defensive tackle depth chart Vince Wilfork Tommy Kelly Armond Armstead Marcus Forston Cory Grissom Dewayne Cherrington Joe Vellano
Can't justify anything the Pats do, but it is very concerning that he gained half the weight back post-diagnosis, considering type 2 is essentially preventable. Source: Wilford.
This might be disability discrimination: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ut-love-looks-like-disability-discrimination/
Well, he can maintain his playing weight by continuing his eating habits in the short term, but over the long term it'd be almost impossible for him to maintain that weight and not be deteriorating. I'm sure some team might take a shot at him, see what he can do, but his long term outlook in the league certainly is dim at this point because he's just going to do too much damage to his body maintaining that weight. The Pats are most likely classless, but I do think they have a legit reason to worry about his weight in this one. If he's not pushing 300 plus pounds, his effectiveness diminishes, and if he is pushing that many pounds, his health diminishes.
Love ended the season last year behind Deaderick on the depth chart, and Deaderick was also cut. His job security obviously wasn't very good even without the diabetes diagnosis. The Patriots have shown willingness to draft players in the early stage of cancer treatment (Marcus Cannon) so I think it is fair to say they are willing to deal with medical conditions when the effects to their playing ability are manageable and the player has the talent to be worthwhile. Either the Patriots staff felt that Love was unlikely to make the roster regardless of his medical condition, or they felt that the diabetes was going to have a significant impact on his ability to play at a high level on a consistent basis.
