The Detroit Lions fined one veteran player Tuesday for making an obscene gesture toward fans and released another who had complained about a lack of playing time.
The Lions cut cornerback Brian Kelly, who was active but didn't play during Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Kelly, 32, had seemingly fallen behind cornerbacks Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher and Kalvin Pearson on Detroit's depth chart, and he also didn't play in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears.
Kelly spent 10 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before becoming a free agent and signing a three-year deal with the Lions in March. His arrival in Detroit reunited him with coach Rod Marinelli, who was the defensive line coach for the Buccaneers from 1996 to 2005.
Kelly started in 11 games this season, making 26 tackles and no interceptions. The Lions signed fifth-year cornerback Dexter Wynn to replace Kelly on the active roster.
The Lions also announced Tuesday that starting center Dominic Raiola was fined $7,500 for his inappropriate conduct directed toward fans during Sunday's game. Raiola made an obscene gesture toward heckling Lions fans, but he said Monday that he didn't regret his actions and wouldn't "take one thing back."
"We have tremendous respect and appreciation for all of our fans, and we believe Dominic's behavior this past Sunday was not consistent with what we expect from members of our team," Lions executive vice president and COO Tom Lewand said in a statement. "Our players, coaches and staff are held to high standards of sportsmanship and conduct. We are disappointed with Dominic's behavior and apologize to any fans who were offended by it."
The fine money will be donated to a Detroit charity.
NFL spokesman Randall Liu said Monday that the league will look into the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
