We may now have a clearer picture why the New Orleans Saints chose to part ways with pass-rusher Junior Galette and it goes beyond his locker room personality and apparent failures as a team captain.
It seems Galette, released by the team on Monday, was charged with three misdemeanors in Louisiana after a traffic stop earlier this month, according to TMZ Sports.
"We've obtained court docs which show Galette was pulled over in his green Mercedes on July 7th -- but during the stop, cops say they noticed Junior was driving on a suspended license," TMZ reported. "Cops also say he didn't have proper tags on his car at the time. Ultimately, Galette was charged with 3 counts -- and has been ordered to appear in court on August 10th ... the same day he has a hearing in a civil case filed by a woman who accused him of domestic violence."
In the wake of Galette's release, much of the talk centered around the $41.5 million contract the Saints had given him just 10 short months ago. The Saints will now eat about $18 million in dead money on Galette's deal after cutting ties with him.
But the misdemeanors, coupled with a video in 2013 that allegedly showed him hitting a woman with a belt and a separate domestic violence incident - though those charges were eventually dropped - and the reported altercations Galette had gotten into with New Orleans teammates explain why the Saints felt the need to part ways with the talented-but-troubled linebacker.
Perhaps in an effort to prove the Saints right, Galette even took to Twitter to embark on an epic rant against the team, the coaches and the players. Galette has since denied that it was him, but the damage has likely already been done.
