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The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Monday that they released cornerback Justin Gilbert after just one season with the team.
Gilbert appeared in 12 games for the Steelers in 2016. He was drafted eighth overall by the Browns in the 2014 NFL draft, but started in just three games in two years for Cleveland. Pittsburgh ended up trading for him right before the season started. While in Pittsburgh, Gilbert saw most of his action on kick returns, and nothing more.
The Steelers released a statement on the matter, but it was rather brief.
Cleveland Browns offensive lineman and Gilbert’s former teammate, Joe Thomas, had a pretty strong reaction to Gilbert being released:
If you don't like football, it doesn't matter how talented you are, your star will burn out quick. https://t.co/r7PfDSTljL
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) February 6, 2017
Thomas isn’t shy about speaking up on topics, but it’s rare to see him call somebody out. Being Gilbert’s former teammate, you can assume he might have a good idea as to why his career hasn’t panned out.
We all know Thomas loves football, because he’s willing to stay with the Cleveland Browns to do so.
Even though he didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, Steelers fans shouldn’t be too bummed out. All they did was send a 2018 sixth-round pick for him. The Browns were the ones that spent a No. 8 overall pick on him.