The Kansas City Chiefs in September 2009 released safety Bernard Pollard. He was a 2006 second round pick and someone we had thought was part of the future, which is why his release was so surprising.
After that, Pollard claimed the Chiefs had spoken poorly of him to other teams and he says he eventually went to Herm Edwards to vouch for him as he searched for a new team.
Speaking to the Houston media on Wednesday, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley recalled the decision to release Pollard, which was (and still is) a highly scrutinized decision.
"I want to be clear about that: It was a tough decision, and not an easy one. Some are easier than others. I’m just happy for Bernard because I think a lot of Bernard. I like passionate guys that are into football and passionate about playing this great game. He’s definitely one of them."
Maybe the problem was that he was too passionate. He had reportedly clashed with the coaching staff which happens sometimes with new regimes.
Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson looked back at the decision and definitely didn't seem like he understood the entire decision.
"Things happen in the league where you don’t understand," he said. "I don’t know what went on up in the front office, so I can’t really speak on that. I do know that Bernard is a good player… I like him a lot. He’s a tough guy; he wants to knock your head off. That’s his mentality."
Pollard's former teammate in Kansas City and current teammate in Houston, Wade Smith, told 610 Sports' Nick Wright this week that the Houston staff seems to get along better with Pollard than they did in Kansas City.
"They (Texans) play to his strengths. They've shown him respect and communication, man-to-man, and that was an issue back in Kansas City between him and the coaching staff. I think that's really the only reason he's not there in Kansas City. He's a really good player. I just think they had issues with communication."
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