DALLAS, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Dallas Cowboys have terminated the contract of four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, releasing him and citing a failed physical.
Agent Mark Slough said Ratliff was not surprised by the move ending his nine-year career with the Cowboys.
Slough indicated the action Wednesday came amid confusion and misinformation about Ratliff's injury, described as a sports hernia injury, complicated by a strained relationship with the Cowboys' medical staff, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.
"This was not a sports hernia injury. This was never a sports hernia injury. Muscle was ripped off the bone, the pelvis, in two places. The [two] tendons ... were both ripped apart. It was a very vicious injury. This injury takes a long time to heal, so the fact that Jay is not yet healthy is not a surprise," Slough said.
Last year after a game, Ratliff physically pursued Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones because he thought his commitment to rehabilitation of the injury was being questioned. The battles over the recovery, and a five-year, $48 million contract extension punctuated the bitterness of Ratliff's departure from the team, the newspaper said.
