The world’s most famous sweatsuit model, Duce Staley, was cut by the Steelers today.  Staley was active for one game this year and has 0, count ‘em, 0, carries this season.  He was brought in for the 2004 season and signed to a 22 million dollar contract, 4 million of which was a signing bonus.  He was replaced part way through that year by Jerome Bettis after getting hurt for the umpteenth time in his career.  He split carries the rest of the season but was thought to be the #1 back coming into last year.  Then, a little something called the Willie Parker Show, came to be, and Duce was relegated to standing on the sideline ever since.  He was dressed for Super Bowl XL but did not enter the game.

Again, Staley figured to see some time this year as a COP back for the now established Parker.  The Steelers thought so much of Duce that they pounced on free agent Najeh Davenport when he became available and signed undrafted rookie John Kuhn when their 3rd down specialist Verron Haynes was lost for the season, leaving Staley in those awesome gray sweats as a healthy scratch for eternity.

The timing of this move is kind of curious though.  The Steelers put WR Willie Reid on injured reserve and signed former Steelers, CB Chidi Iwuoma and WR Lee Mays to fill the roster spots.  Staley had restructured his contract prior to the season taking a pay cut from 2.5 million dollars down to 1.5 million.  Even with a prorated cut of his signing bonus, his cap number probably isn’t much past 2.5 million.  Mays and Iwuoma surely don’t make that combined at whatever the veteran minimum is at the moment and I’m pretty sure the time is long since passed where the Steelers would realize any cap savings by cutting that over priced mannequin.

It’ll be interesting to see if some other sucker NFL team takes a chance on Staley.  He has a reputation as a malcontent but has largely been quiet while in Pittsburgh, despite barely seeing the field.  I guess standing around showing off my team apparel and very large diamond earrings while making several million dollars is good work if you can find it.  I hope he speaks out, just so I can follow up and post this picture again.  Good luck and godspeed, Duce!

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Tags: chidi iwuoma, duce staley, john kuhn, lee mays, najeh davenport, NFL, steelers, verron haynes, willie parker, willie reed

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