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Cornerback Ty Law, who helped New England win two Super Bowls but watched with a broken foot when they won their third, was released on Friday so the Patriots wouldn't have to pay him a salary-cap-busting $12.5 million next season.
A 10-year veteran with four Pro Bowl appearances, Law holds franchise records with 36 interceptions and six regular-season touchdowns on interceptions. He also scored on an interception when the Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams in 2002 for their first NFL title.
"Ty Law had a tremendous career as a New England Patriot," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We wish him well in the future."
Law, 31 was in the final season of a seven-year, $51 million contact with the team. Even before he broke his foot and missed the Patriots' last 12 games, the cap-conscious team was not expected to bring him back at his full salary; Law had said he wasn't inclined to restructure his deal.
Law's agent, Carl Poston, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
"I'd love to finish my career here, but this is a business - I'm not ignorant to that," he said in Jacksonville, Fla., during Super Bowl week. "I'm trying to leave a legacy as a player, and to stay with one team throughout your career, that's pretty rare in this day and age. I also know there's been a lot of other great players who had to move on. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
Law was the Patriots' most dependable cornerback before he was injured on a non-contact play in the Oct. 31 loss to Pittsburgh. He missed the rest of the season, including three playoff games that New England won to earn its third Super Bowl title in four years.
A first-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 1995 draft from Michigan, Law led the team in interceptions four times and led the NFL with nine in 1998, when he was co-MVP of the Pro Bowl. That offseason, he was rewarded with a deal that made him the highest-paid player in Patriots history and the second best-paid cornerback in the league, behind Deion Sanders.
Source: AP
A 10-year veteran with four Pro Bowl appearances, Law holds franchise records with 36 interceptions and six regular-season touchdowns on interceptions. He also scored on an interception when the Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams in 2002 for their first NFL title.
"Ty Law had a tremendous career as a New England Patriot," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We wish him well in the future."
Law, 31 was in the final season of a seven-year, $51 million contact with the team. Even before he broke his foot and missed the Patriots' last 12 games, the cap-conscious team was not expected to bring him back at his full salary; Law had said he wasn't inclined to restructure his deal.
Law's agent, Carl Poston, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
"I'd love to finish my career here, but this is a business - I'm not ignorant to that," he said in Jacksonville, Fla., during Super Bowl week. "I'm trying to leave a legacy as a player, and to stay with one team throughout your career, that's pretty rare in this day and age. I also know there's been a lot of other great players who had to move on. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
Law was the Patriots' most dependable cornerback before he was injured on a non-contact play in the Oct. 31 loss to Pittsburgh. He missed the rest of the season, including three playoff games that New England won to earn its third Super Bowl title in four years.
A first-round pick, 23rd overall, in the 1995 draft from Michigan, Law led the team in interceptions four times and led the NFL with nine in 1998, when he was co-MVP of the Pro Bowl. That offseason, he was rewarded with a deal that made him the highest-paid player in Patriots history and the second best-paid cornerback in the league, behind Deion Sanders.
Source: AP