Saints to release linebacker Junior Galette
— -- Deciding his character issues outweighed his enormous talent and salary-cap hit, the New Orleans Saints will release outside linebacker Junior Galette, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
Galette, 27, signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension last September. But he has since been involved in two high-profile allegations of violence that could also have him facing a league suspension.
A source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that Galette must still take -- and pass -- a physical with the Saints this weekend before he can be released. He had suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the weight room this summer but learned he would not require surgery and was hoping to resume practice during training camp.
Galette was scheduled to meet with NFL officials last month in New York to determine whether any punishment is warranted for a January arrest on allegations of domestic violence against a female houseguest -- although the case was dismissed.
Galette told New Orleans' WWL TV that the Saints notified him of his pending release by phone and that he'll make the best of it and will be the best outside linebacker in the league this year. Galette told WWL that he had met with NFL officials recently and believed he was in the clear as far as any league discipline.
In addition, the Saints were aware of a 2013 video that surfaced in July which allegedly shows Galette striking a woman with a belt during a group scuffle on a beach that was recorded by an onlooker.
In the video, a man who appears to be Galette fights another man using his belt. He then swings the belt at the surrounding group and strikes a woman twice with it. Later on, he shoves several people and throws a punch.
Galette's attorney, Ralph Whalen, told media outlets that there was no proof his client was the person in the video
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday that the league's review of Galette is still ongoing.
New Orleans' top pass-rusher, Galette has 22 sacks over the past two years. His 2015 base salary of $1.25 million became fully guaranteed in March, when he also was paid a guaranteed $12.5 million bonus.
Since the Saints will have released Galette after June 1, his 2015 salary-cap figure will remain at $5.45 million, with another $12.1 million in dead money counting against next year's cap. It's unclear if any of the previously paid bonus money could be recouped in the event of a league suspension.
ESPN NFL Insiders Ed Werder and Adam Schefter contributed to this report.
