This afternoon, the Green Bay Packers organization confirmed what Adam Schefter had previously reported. Left tackle Chad Clifton has been released by the team. The team announced Clifton's release on the official team website.
Here's what General Manager Ted Thompson had to say about Clifton.
"Chad is a great Packer and has been an integral part of our success over the past 12 seasons. He was a member of some of the most prolific offenses in team history, but more importantly, he is a great person and teammate. We thank Chad for all that he has given the Packers on the field and in the community and wish him and his family well."
Obviously, everyone is going to miss Clifton a lot and hopefully he succeeds in whatever he chooses to do in future, whether that's attempting a return to football or something else. For sentiment's sake, no one ever wants to cut a borderline team legend, but this was a business decision that had to be made.
Clifton leaves Green Bay after 12 seasons with the team. He played 165 games for the team, starting in 160 of those games.