UPDATE (Friday, 5:50 p.m. ET): The New England Patriots announced Friday that they have released linebacker Darius Fleming.
ORIGINAL STORY: Darius Fleming’s time with the New England Patriots has come to an end.
The Patriots apparently have released the linebacker, who posted a thank you message to the team and its fans on his Instagram page Friday.
“I want to thank the Kraft family, my coaches, the Patriots organization and the fans for the amazing opportunity during the past two years in New England,” Fleming wrote. “I wish the organization nothing but the best going forward.”
Fleming, taken in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, appeared in just 11 games over two seasons with the Patriots. One of his biggest moments came in the 2014 AFC Championship Game when he recovered a fumble in the Patriots’ 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Fleming’s biggest moment with the Patriots, however, came off the field. The 26-year-old made news after he saved a woman by pulling her out of a smoking car following an accident on Route 1 near Gillette Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
