CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Cornerback Ricardo Colclough was released by the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, hours after he was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, and star receiver Steve Smith was placed on the reserve-suspended list.
Safety Terrence Holt and defensive end Stanley McClover were also among the 22 players cut Saturday to get the Panthers to the 53-man regular-season limit.
Smith will be suspended for the first two regular-season games for breaking cornerback Ken Lucas’ nose in a training-camp fight. He won’t be allowed to rejoin the team until Sept. 15, a day after Carolina hosts Chicago.
Colclough was arrested early Saturday for DWI and spent more than five hours in jail before being released on $1,000 bond. His job was in jeopardy before the arrest.
“The timing wasn’t very good,” general manager Marty Hurney said. “That’s for sure.”
The Panthers kept kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd and seventh-round pick Mackenzy Bernadeau, who made the roster ahead of veteran offensive linemen Toniu Fonoti, Milford Brown and Evan Mathis.
McClover, a seventh-round pick in 2006, was let go after a lackluster preseason. That allowed seventh-round pick and defensive end Hilee Taylor to make the team.
“We think that he’ll continue to improve,” Hurney said of Taylor.
Holt, signed in the offseason, lost his job in favor of fellow safeties Nate Salley and Quinton Teal, who can also play special teams.
“That was an extremely difficult decision because Terrence came in and played extremely well and really brought a lot of intangibles into our locker room,” Hurney said.
The highest-drafted rookie from this year’s draft class to be let go was defensive tackle Nick Hayden, a sixth-round choice. Offensive tackle Geoff Schwartz, a seventh-round pick, was also cut.
As expected, quarterback Brett Basanez was waived, a day after the Panthers acquired veteran QB Josh McCown from Miami for a seventh-round pick next year. Matt Moore, who injured his left leg in Thursday’s preseason finale, made the roster and will likely be the No. 3 QB.
Dominique Thompson won the last job at receiver on the squad ahead of Travis Taylor, Chris Hannon and Will Buchanon.
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