Bears release Evan Rodriguez after second arrest
Two strikes were all it took to end Evan Rodriguez’s Bears career.
The fullback-tight end, a fourth-round pick in 2012, was released Monday morning less than two weeks after his second arrest of the off-season. The Bears had already signed a probable replacement earlier in the day, bringing in veteran fullback Tony Fiammetta.
Rodriguez was arrested in Miami Beach in March on charges of resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication, but those charges were dropped. He was also arrested in late May in Chicago and charged with DUI, a situation he addressed last week after an organized team activity practice.
“I apologize to the whole organization and my family and my teammates,” Rodriguez said. “I know I made a poor judgment that night. I also have to earn my teammates’ trust back and the coaches’ trust back. I can say a whole bunch of words, but I have to lead by my actions.”
Last week, it seemed Bears GM Phil Emery, who drafted Rodriguez out of Temple despite character concerns, might give him another chance.
“Evan is a very likable guy,” Emery said. “We have talked. I’m disappointed. I would use the word ‘extremely,’ and we’ll leave it at that.”
But Rodriguez was easily expendable after a rookie season in which he played in 12 games and started five but was only a marginal contributor, catching 4 passes for 21 yards.
The 27-year-old Fiammetta was a fourth-round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2009 out of Syracuse. The 6-foot, 242-pounder spent last season on the New England Patriots’ reserve/left squad list to deal with what the team called “a family issue.” He was released on April 29.
Fiammetta was cut by the Panthers just before the start of the 2011 season but picked up by the Dallas Cowboys and played in 10 games. He has been almost exclusively a lead blocker, with just 11 career carries for 26 yards and 8 receptions for 73 yards.
The Bears also waived wide receivers Demetrius Fields and Dale Moss on Monday and signed wide receivers Devin Aromashodu and Jerrell Jackson.
Aromashodu was a Bear from 2008-10, catching 34 passes for 447 yards, including 24 receptions for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2010. The 6-foot-2, 201-pounder played the past two seasons for the Minnesota Vikings.
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