Patriots Show No Love; Release Kyle Love

The New England Patriots recently released defensive tackle Kyle Love, much to the surprise of many fans, analysts, and his teammates in the NFL.

While the move is certainly unprecedented, a closer look reveals that the decision is related to Love’s recent diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.

Love learned of his condition within the past few weeks and has reportedly been dealing with the illness, becoming so sick that he has not been present at offseason workouts. Listed at 6-1 and 310 pounds, Love dropped down to 280 by some accounts but has been gaining the weight back with the help of the Patriots training staff. Love was shocked to hear the news of his release, considering how well he had been doing of late, but no one was more shocked than his agent, Richard Kopelman.

"I'm somewhat surprised," Kopelman said. "I know the Patriots run a tight ship, but I'm a little surprised. They were not willing to take any risk. Kyle is going to be at 100% within a matter of weeks. Barring something out of the ordinary, he should be ready to go for training camp, and he'll continue to be successful."

Love was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Mississippi State in 2010 but made a good impression during his rookie season. He played nine games as a rookie and then 16 the past two seasons with a combined 25 starts. While not a standout player, he has been a solid force in the Patriots’ defensive line and will be missed in Foxboro.

For those who are worried about Love finding a team (although it's not much of a concern to him), rumors have been floating around that the Jaguars have picked Love up, apparently willing to take a risk on his health. Once again, Love’s agent Kopelman spoke to the press.

“Naturally, we are disappointed that the Patriots decided to part ways with Kyle, especially in light of the fact that a number of elite professional athletes with diabetes -- both Type 1, which is known to be far more difficult to manage than Type 2 diabetes -- have had very successful careers in professional football, hockey, baseball and basketball," Kopelman said.

With Love apparently in Jacksonville, the Jaguars have another piece of their defense in place and since he’s coming in on the cheap, they’ll have a bit added flexibility as they hope to improve their team for the 2013 season.