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The Detroit Lions cut tight end Charlie Taumoepeau on Monday citing a non-football injury.
The news came as a surprise because he played for the team during their first preseason game on Friday night against the Buffalo Bills. However, the reason why Taumoepeau was cut has now been revealed.
Why did the Detroit Lions waive Charlie Taumoepeau?
Taumoepeau was a passenger in a car driven by Alex Brown, another Detroit Lions player, when the vehicle crashed on the wrong side of a freeway. Two people, including Taumoepeau, were critically injured in the accident.
He suffered a neck injury and some broken ribs. The good news is that he's expected to make a full recovery.
The Lions waived Taumoepeau, citing a non-football injury. That caught everyone by surprise given that he featured heavily against the Buffalo Bills on Friday. He may revert to the IR list if no other team claims him through the waiver wire.
Alex Brown charged by Detroit police
Alex Brown had a small shot at making the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster once the preseason was over. But the cornerback was cut by the Lions on Sunday afternoon as soon as the team learned of the incident. With Detroit having to trim its roster to 85 players by Tuesday, letting Brown and Taumoepeau go was an easy decision for the franchise.
But the bad news for Brown doesn't end there. On Monday, Detroit police booked him on charges ranging from driving under the influence to driving the wrong way on a divided highway.
Brown was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. He had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets before joining the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020.
After spending last season on injured reserve following a torn ACL during practice with the Chiefs, Brown signed with the Lions, hoping to grab a spot on the 53-man roster. Those chances are now gone, just like his chances of playing in the NFL in the near future.
