Jets release Osemele after he has unapproved surgery
NEW YORK — Kelechi Osemele is no longer a member of the New York Jets.
The veteran guard’s contentious standoff with the team, however, is far from over.
The Jets announced Saturday they released Osemele a day after he had surgery on his right shoulder in Boston to repair a torn labrum without the team’s approval.
New York was made aware of Osemele’s plan to have surgery, but because he was not with the team and the surgery wasn’t authorized, it was considered an unexcused absence.
The Jets had been fining Osemele the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement — $579,000 per week, the amount of each of his game checks — for not practicing, saying it was “conduct detrimental to the team.” Osemele had filed a grievance with the NFL Players Association against the team.
“They owe him the balance of his contract both under the standard injury guarantee provision of the player contract and under termination pay,” Osemele’s agent, Andrew Kessler, said in a statement. “We will pursue through that and all fines to be rescinded through grievances.”
Osemele was making a fully guaranteed $9.85 million this season, so he is due about $5.2 million more over the final nine weeks.
The 30-year-old offensive lineman was scheduled to make $11.35 million next season, but that money was not guaranteed and he said earlier last week he “absolutely, 100 percent” expected to be cut by the Jets in the offseason.
It turned out, the move happened even sooner.