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How Brian Cushing acknowledged his release from the Houston Texans

Adam Wexler, Sports Anchor/Reporter

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HOUSTON – In a move that was long expected, the Houston Texans have released veteran linebacker Brian Cushing.

Reports last week indicated he would be released prior to the start of the new league year on March 14, and that has become a reality as acknowledged by Cushing in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

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For some reason you always think this day will never come. You wish you could play forever and never have to worry about not wearing that jersey again. Anyone who says that “it’s just a game," is full of shit. This is my lifestyle, my profession, my heart and soul. There wasn’t a day in 9 years I didn’t thank God for allowing me to compete as a Texan. You can say a lot of things about me, but I left it all out there every single Sunday. I would do anything to try and be out there for the fans and my teammates. It’s the ultimate team game where you have to love and trust all 11 guys on the field that their intention is to win and not let each other down. Thank you Houston for embracing me like a son from day 1. From getting married here to having both our boys born here. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to experience both of those life changing moments. It was the toughest yet best 9 years of my life. Thank you to the Mcnair family for drafting me here and changing my life forever. I could not have asked for better ownership, a family that truly cares about their players. Thank you to Rick Smith and Coach Kubiak for originally bringing me here and helping me grow up both on and off the field. Thank you Coach O’Brien and Brian Gaine for allowing me to continue to live out my dream. I apologize I wasn’t able to bring a super bowl to Houston, but I can tell you they are not far off. Once again thank you for an incredible 9 years and memories that will last a lifetime.

A post shared by Brian Cushing (@brian56cushing) on

 

The move is expected to save the team roughly $7 million in cap space, pushing their overall amount of cap space this offseason to just over $64 million.

Cushing was drafted in the first round by the Texans in 2009 and won rookie of the year honors that season. He also was selected to the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career.

This past season he was suspended for 10 games for a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. 

He played in all 16 games in two of his first three seasons, missing only four games total -- all due to a league suspension for violation of the substance abuse policy.

Over his remaining six seasons with Houston, Cushing played a full 16-game slate just once. 

He thanked previous general manager Rick Smith and head coach Gary Kubiak, along with current head coach Bill O’Brien and general manager Brian Gaine in his post, in addition to thanking ownership and the fans of Houston. 

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