One day after beginning their voluntary offseason workout program, the Detroit Lions released offensive guard Rodney Austin.
The move comes after Austin was arrested last week on four misdemeanor charges in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., including assault of a female and assault of a child under 12.
Austin is accused of shoving his ex-girlfriend, who was holding an infant at the time, to the ground, according to the police report.
Austin released a statement through his attorney, Mark Jetton, denying the allegations.
"The facts at issue are as follows," the statement read. "1. On April 5, Miss Yvonne Gill-Sadler called the police alleging a domestic assault against her and Rodney's 9-month-old baby. The police arrived, interviewed Miss Yvonne Gill-Sadler, evaluated the baby and Ms. Yvonne Gill-Sadler, found no signs of injury, and left without issuing warrants or making any arrests."
"2. On April 16, 11 days later, Miss Gill-Sadler went to a Magistrate Judge and alleged the same incident. The Magistrate Judge issued a warrant for Rodney's arrest. Rodney turned himself in once he became aware of the warrant, and was released the following morning."
The statement added that Austin, believing the allegations against him are in retaliation of an ongoing issue over child custody and a disagreement over the future of his relationship with Gill-Sadler, is pursuing civil charges against her for "malicious prosecution, defamation of character and slander."
"Domestic violence in America is a serious issue, and we owe it to every woman or man who suffers at the hands of another to make every legal and cultural change we can so that justice can be done," Austin's statement read. "This must include ensuring that no one can wield false allegations as a weapon designed to damage another person."
Austin added that he looks forward to rejoining the Lions "once he has cleared his name."
The Lions made no comment on Austin's situation other than to confirm that he had been cut.
Austin, 26, was an undrafted player coming out of Elon University in 2012 and spent most of his time with the Lions on the practice squad, but he did get promoted to the 53-man roster for portions of the last two seasons. He was activated for two games and played in one.
The Lions haven’t re-signed starting left guard Rob Sims to this point, nor added a replacement for him, which had left Austin penciled in as the temporary starter this offseason.
Austin, however, wasn't expected to be anything more than a reserve player once the season arrived.
The Lions are likely to take an offensive lineman or two in the NFL Draft in two weeks, and probably either re-sign Sims or sign another veteran free agent to fill the current void.
