Friday, August 20, 2004
Troubled CB bucked no-tolerance mandate
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS -- One day after placing a waiver claim on troubled cornerback Derek Ross, the Saints did an about-face and released the former Ohio State standout after he missed a scheduled flight to New Orleans on Wednesday night.
Shortly after the Saints officially claimed Ross off waivers from Atlanta on Wednesday, Saints coach Jim Haslett talked to him by phone and issued a no-tolerance mandate to the cornerback, who was about to join his third team in less than eight months.
When Ross missed his flight, the team wasted no time in revoking its waiver claim. Because of NFL rules, Ross could not be officially released until Friday.
"I don't know if he made it in or not," Haslett said. "He was supposed to come in. I talked to him and told him what we expected, and we just changed our minds."
A 2002 third-round draft pick by the Cowboys, Ross started nine games and intercepted five passes as a rookie. But he clashed almost immediately with new coach Bill Parcells when Parcells took over in 2003.
Parcells criticized Ross for his sloppy fundamentals and his inability to shake a lingering knee injury that kept him out for six games.
Ross fumbled twice while returning kicks in a Nov. 27 loss to Miami, then missed a team run and a mandatory hospital visit the next day. Less than a week later, Parcells waived him.
Fifteen teams, including the Saints, placed waiver claims on Ross, but the Falcons earned his rights.
Ross played in two games with one start for Atlanta last season. The Falcons waived Ross on Tuesday after he missed more than a week of camp with knee tendinitis. The Saints were the only team to claim Ross this time
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