Dwayne Jarrett Released

It's a day that Panther fans have been calling for over the past 2 years. They got their wish on Tuesday, but for all the wrong reasons.

Mind you, I have been wondering what Jarrett had done to earn the chance at a roster spot, as his potential has gone horribly unrealized. My reasons were simply football reasons. He wasn't doing enough in practice to merit a jersey on game day. Pretty telling stuff that, in his 4th season, being the 2nd tenured WR on the roster, Jarrett was inactive in week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. That move signified the beginning of the end of his time with the Panthers.

His release however, does not come easily.

The Panthers have cut loose a guy that set a Pac-10 record for touchdown catches (41), and was a 2nd round draft choice. Many will affix the label "bust" to him, and when it comes to football, it would fit. The bigger worry for me, is the young man's future.

Jarrett being nabbed twice for DWI by the age of 24, is a warning sign. Jarrett may need some serious help. This is not a good thing for any person that age, not just football players. Maybe the pressures of the NFL were too much for him. Maybe he's not cut out for the NFL. Who knows. What we do know is this: Dwayne Jarrett struggled as an NFL receiver, both on and off the field.

In the game football, Jarrett's time may be up. In the game of life, he'll need to get back on track before something worse than being cut by an NFL team happens.

Mike Solarte