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Turley is released after failing physical - PD
Turley is released after failing physical
By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Monday, Jun. 06 2005
Kyle Turley won't be playing offensive tackle, tight end, defensive tackle or
anything else for the Rams in 2005. Turley has failed a physical exam
administered in Arizona, where he had been rehabbing the back injury that cost
him the entire 2004 season, and has been released.
Officially, Turley was designated as "waived - failed physical," which means
the Rams owe him $250,000 but that the effect on the salary cap is the same as
if he simply had been released. The "hit" is $1.82 million this year and $5.47
million in 2006.
Turley signed a six-year, $26.5 million deal with the Rams after he was
acquired in a trade with New Orleans in March of 2003.
Turley, 28, underwent surgery on a herniated disc in March of 2004 after
starting all 16 games at right tackle the previous season, his first with the
Rams. Turley reinjured his back early in training camp last July and was placed
on the injured reserve list Aug. 28.
Additional surgery was not performed, and Turley said in a recent interview
with the Post-Dispatch that he had been training daily since early January at
the Athletes Performance Institute in Tempe, Ariz. After dropping some 65
pounds from his playing weight, down to 235, the 6-foot-5 Turley reported that
he'd added about 30 pounds and hoped to play in the NFL this year.
Still, Turley acknowledged that he probably couldn't add enough bulk to man an
offensive line position this year, so he hinted that he'd be interested in a
different position - perhaps tight end or defensive end.
"As far as the team goes, I don't know what their thoughts are," he said.
"Obviously, they signed a contract with me to play offensive line, and they
don't know what I would do at another position. So, that's probably a big
question in their mind. ...
"(But) it might take another year possibly to continue putting the weight on,
making it good weight, and not just going out and eating a bunch of Krispy
Kreme doughnuts and burritos at 2 in the morning, to get back up to 300
pounds."
It probably never would've gotten that far with the Rams, particularly after
Turley's well-publicized offseason clash with coach Mike Martz. Their rift
began when Martz became irritated that Turley wasn't returning his phone calls
after leaving training camp in Macomb, Ill., to seek evaluations of his back
injury.
A conversation between the two in mid-December in Martz's Rams Park office
escalated into a shouting match and ultimately led Martz to file a complaint
with NFL security, alleging that Turley threatened him. Turley continued his
criticism of March into the new year, assailing him bitterly in national
interviews.
Yet he insisted only a week ago that he still was amenable to playing for Martz
and the Rams.
"As far as Mike Martz and that whole story is concerned, my goal is to play
football this year and worry about winning games. Outside of that, I don't have
too many more things to say," Turley said. "Looking back on the whole thing, I
can understand a little bit of frustration on his part, and I'm sure he can
understand a little bit of frustration on my part.
"Whether or not I'm going to be on that team next year is not so much in my
hands but in theirs, and there's nothing I can really do about it. So, you move
on if it comes to that."
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