The Baltimore Ravens announced Friday that they would be terminating the contract of nose tackle Terrence Cody.
The announcement seemed odd and unnecessary - he was already scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March after signing a one-year, $730,000 contract with the team prior to this season - but the situation now makes more sense. According to Elise Armacost, the director of communications for Baltimore County police, via a report from Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun, Cody is under investigation for animal cruelty.
Sources tell Wilson that the case involves a dog.
Cody has not been charged with a crime to this point but the case is "being discussed with the Baltimore County State's attorney office," per Wilson.
While the Ravens are aware of the situation, according to Wilson's report, they did not provide a reason when announcing Cody's contract termination.
Cody is a former second-round draft pick for the Ravens out of Alabama. His best season came in his second year in the league when he started 15 games and had 34 tackles as a replacement for Kelly Gregg, but has mostly been a disappointment otherwise.
The NFL has been forced to endure an absurd amount of bad press already this season - from the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Dwyer, Greg Hardy and Ray MacDonald domestic violence issues, to the recent New England Patriots cheating scandal dubbed "Deflate-Gate."
If Cody is convicted, he'll join the likes of Mike Vick - who was suspended and served two years in jail - as NFL players involved in animal cruelty scandals.
