THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — LeCharles Bentley’s career with his hometown Browns amounted to nothing more than a couple of incomplete practice sessions.
The centre asked for and received his release from the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, nearly two years after he suffered a major knee injury at the start of his first training camp with the team.
Bentley wants to resume his career somewhere he’ll have the opportunity to play, said his agent, Jonathan Feinsod. The Plain Dealer first reported Bentley’s release on its website.
“At this point in LeCharles’ career, he is not ready to be just an insurance policy,” Feinsod said. “To come back from what basically amounts to a near-death experience and now be healthy again is an inspiration to anybody. He’s ready to continue his Pro Bowl and hopefully Hall of Fame career.”
Browns general manager Phil Savage wished Bentley well.
“This is a chapter that finally comes to an end,” Savage said. “We’ve got some closure to it and we can go our separate ways in a positive manner.”
Bentley practised with the Browns on Tuesday for the first time since he underwent knee injury and survived a life-threatening infection.
The 28-year-old passed a physical and a running test Monday and was cleared to practise with the team during their three-day minicamp this week. He predicted Tuesday that he would be starting in 2008 whether for the Browns or another NFL team.
“When he came to the Browns two years ago, their situation was entirely different and they didn’t know if and when he was going to recover from this injury,” Feinsod said. “They had to do certain things to help their team, which they did.”
The Browns improved their offensive line in Bentley’s absence and that helped them transform an inept offence into one of the league’s powerhouses.
“We feel like the landscape of our team has changed from July 2006 to where we are in June 2008,” Savage said.
Feinsod characterized the parting as amicable.
“This is no fault of the Cleveland Browns,” he said.
He declined to comment on whether other teams were interested in Bentley.
Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowl centre with New Orleans, signed a US$36-million, six-year free-agent contract in March 2006 with the Browns.
“It was a unique circumstance, in terms of him being a local icon, playing at St. Ignatius, Ohio State,” said Savage, referring to Bentley’s local high school and college teams. “It was going to be the trifecta in playing for the Browns. It just didn’t work out.”
Bentley’s dream of playing for his hometown team ended quickly when he tore his left patellar tendon on the first full-contact play of training camp in July 2006.
Following surgery to repair the tendon, he developed a staph infection and needed three more operations. His contract with Cleveland was later shortened to one year.
“I’m still a fan, I’m still a Cleveland guy, and I’m glad to see the Browns do well,” Bentley said a day before his release. “They have got so many stars now. I’m excited about that from a fan’s perspective. I’m always going to be a Cleveland Browns die-hard fan no matter what. Whatever happens, I’m glad to see the team do well.”
