GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Defensive end Anthony Hargrove, already facing an eight-game suspension for his alleged role in the Saints bounty pool, has been released by the Green Bay Packers.
The NFL has said the Saints' bounty program paid defensive players improper cash bonuses for hits that injured opponents from 2009-11.
The 29-year-old Hargrove has denied NFL accusations that he lied to league investigators. Hargrove, with the Saints from 2009-10, played last season with Seattle. Green Bay signed the 6-foot-3, 287-pound Hargrove on March 29. He was suspended by the NFL on May 2.
The Packers on Friday also released wide receiver Andrew Brewer, safety Micah Pellerin, offensive tackle Herb Taylor and cornerback Dion Turner.
Hargrove had seen his already limited snaps dwindle in both practice and in preseason games of late, as the Packers had made no secret that their priority was to get players ready for the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against San Francisco.
He did not play in the Packers' 27-13 victory at Cincinnati on Thursday night.
It is unclear whether Hargrove's release was a result of poor performance or his looming suspension -- or a combination of the two. The team had endured all the attention that came with Hargrove's role in the bounty scandal, including Hargrove publicly decrying his suspension after a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York.
Throughout camp, coach Mike McCarthy had made it clear that Hargrove's practice time would be limited because of his suspension. The same has been true with defensive end Mike Neal, who is suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think you have to be honest and just prioritize it," McCarthy said. "The priority is really to get the other guys ready and individuals who have the opportunity to compete for the 53 and be ready Week 1."
Hargrove had been rotating in with the Nos. 3 and 4 units on defense in practice, seeing only an occasional snap or two with the Nos. 1 or 2 groups.
He missed two practices early in camp -- one for what McCarthy termed a "personal matter" and another after running into travel problems -- but coaches and teammates had lauded the energy he brought to the locker room and the practice field.