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Never afraid to speak his mind or offer an opinion, veteran defensive lineman Shaun Smith was released Saturday by the Cleveland Browns.
Coach Eric Mangini offered few details about his decision to cut Smith, who started 19 games in two seasons with Cleveland and last year was involved in a weight-room fight with quarterback Brady Quinn.
"We needed to create a roster spot and that's really what it came down to," Mangini said.
Agent Neil Schwartz said Smith called him Saturday to inform him about the release.
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Smith, who can play end or nose tackle, was one of the Browns' most vocal players -- on and off the field. He played two seasons with Cleveland after signing as a free agent in 2007. He made nine starts last season, finishing with 47 tackles in 11 games.
But Smith's biggest moment may have been his confrontation with Quinn last December. Smith reportedly punched Quinn, who at the time was sidelined with a season-ending finger injury, in the face following a heated argument.
Mangini was asked if he found the 27-year-old Smith disruptive.
"I think Shaun did a good job while he was here, and in terms of his experience prior to me getting here, I wasn't familiar with all of those things," said Mangini, who was hired in January after Romeo Crennel was fired.
After taking the job, Mangini did not meet individually with players for several weeks because he said he wanted to find out more about them.
"I wanted to be able to watch the tape, make sure I did my due diligence in terms of learning about the players and then be able to sit down with them and give them an honest assessment of where they were, what expectations were," Mangini said. "I never like to just jump in, say something and then have to go back and backtrack."
Cleveland's coaching staff had asked Smith to drop weight before training camp, and last week he reported lighter than he had been in years. He signed a four-year free agent deal worth $8.6 million in 2007 after playing two seasons with Cincinnati.
Also, Mangini offered no update on injured offensive lineman Rex Hadnot, who was carted off the field on Thursday with an apparent serious knee injury. Hadnot was engaged in a block when he was hit on the side of the knee by rookie linebacker David Veikune, who got blocked into him.
"Injuries aren't anything I'm going to talk about," Mangini said.
Coach Eric Mangini offered few details about his decision to cut Smith, who started 19 games in two seasons with Cleveland and last year was involved in a weight-room fight with quarterback Brady Quinn.
"We needed to create a roster spot and that's really what it came down to," Mangini said.
Agent Neil Schwartz said Smith called him Saturday to inform him about the release.
The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Smith, who can play end or nose tackle, was one of the Browns' most vocal players -- on and off the field. He played two seasons with Cleveland after signing as a free agent in 2007. He made nine starts last season, finishing with 47 tackles in 11 games.
But Smith's biggest moment may have been his confrontation with Quinn last December. Smith reportedly punched Quinn, who at the time was sidelined with a season-ending finger injury, in the face following a heated argument.
Mangini was asked if he found the 27-year-old Smith disruptive.
"I think Shaun did a good job while he was here, and in terms of his experience prior to me getting here, I wasn't familiar with all of those things," said Mangini, who was hired in January after Romeo Crennel was fired.
After taking the job, Mangini did not meet individually with players for several weeks because he said he wanted to find out more about them.
"I wanted to be able to watch the tape, make sure I did my due diligence in terms of learning about the players and then be able to sit down with them and give them an honest assessment of where they were, what expectations were," Mangini said. "I never like to just jump in, say something and then have to go back and backtrack."
Cleveland's coaching staff had asked Smith to drop weight before training camp, and last week he reported lighter than he had been in years. He signed a four-year free agent deal worth $8.6 million in 2007 after playing two seasons with Cincinnati.
Also, Mangini offered no update on injured offensive lineman Rex Hadnot, who was carted off the field on Thursday with an apparent serious knee injury. Hadnot was engaged in a block when he was hit on the side of the knee by rookie linebacker David Veikune, who got blocked into him.
"Injuries aren't anything I'm going to talk about," Mangini said.
