New England Patriots Release Brandon Spikes
The New England Patriots have cut ties with linebacker Brandon Spikes, as reported by Schefty late Monday morning.
Patriots released LB Brandon Spikes, per source. Wasted no time....
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 8, 2015
Looking to steer completely clear of a publicity eyesore, the Patriots cut the run-stopper after it was reported that an abandoned car in Spikes’ name was found on I-495 early Sunday morning. Indications of a hit-and-run were too evident for the Patriots to fool around.
Thus ends Spikes’ 21-day stint with the Patriots in 2015. Signed on May 18th to bolster the linebacking corps and provide beef on run defense, Spikes didn’t have any other teams interested in his service besides the team that drafted him in the second round back in 2010.
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From a public relations standpoint, the Patriots simply could not afford to hang on to Spikes in the wake of this incident. Even if he is (somehow) found innocent, the Patriots are better off not even touching him with a 55-foot pole at this point. Associating with a player that has caused harm to other people (three people were reportedly injured in the hit-and-run) is bad for business.
After the rock-solid starting trio of Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower and Jerod Mayo, Spikes was the most recognizable name on the Patriots’ linebacker depth chart. With Spikes out of the picture, guys like Dane Fletcher, Dekoda Watson and Darius Fleming will have cracks at the top depth positions.
For Spikes, the future is grim. The Buffalo Bills didn’t want to re-sign him this offseason, and the Patriots clearly picked him up only under the condition that there would be no monkey business. It would be surprising if another team took a flyer on Spikes after this monkey business.
In case you missed it, earlier this morning Musket Fire’s Cyrus Geller advised the Patriots to execute the release of Spikes. Sure enough, they did.