Jets’ Whitehead says release by Cowboys was ‘shocking’

Lucky Whitehead is fully focused on football again after a bizarre week during which he lost his job and was entangled in a curious legal situation.

The wide receiver-kick returner was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on Wednesday, two days after the Dallas Cowboys cut him following a shoplifting charge in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.

“It’s been crazy,” Whitehead said after practice Saturday. “A lot’s been going on. I’m just happy to get an opportunity to start over and clean my slate.”

In June, a man used Whitehead’s identity to steal $40 worth of food and drink from a Virginia convenience store. After reports surfaced that Whitehead was arrested and subsequently cited for missing a court hearing, Dallas released him.

When the charges against Whitehead were announced, his agent, Dave Rich, said Whitehead wasn’t in Virginia at the time of the arrest. Police subsequently said they were seeking the man who used the name Rodney Darnell Whitehead Jr. — the receiver’s given name.

“It was very confusing,” Whitehead said of being cut by Dallas. “I came off the field and found out that I had an arrest warrant that I didn’t know about. And, it was kind of shocking with the whole release thing. That whole situation, I was kind of just, (let’s) figure out what was going on and clear my name. It was just kind of a twist.”