Deuce's run in N.O. comes to end

Deuce's run in N.O. comes to end
February 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Dulymus Jenod McAllister delivered a somber message during a Tuesday news conference to Saints fans that many had been expecting for months: Deuce was finally loose.

In one of the saddest days in franchise history, the Saints released McAllister, a wildly popular veteran running back who holds franchise records for rushing and touchdowns.

"They say all good things must come to an end, and obviously this is a day as a player that you dread to happen," a teary-eyed McAllister said while cameras flashed and videotape rolled. "But if you don't go out on your own terms, there is a possibility that this eventually may occur.

"There is no animosity at all on my part. Hey, it just didn't work. At the end of the day it just didn't work. But at the same time, I am going to remember the good memories that we had."

McAllister, who turned 30 in December, had four years remaining on his $50.1 million contract. But last season -- returning from his third major knee injury in three years -- he struggled to regain his usual burst and cutting ability, and his role was greatly diminished. Complicating matters, McAllister underwent a scope on his left knee to clean out loose cartilage six weeks ago, with the procedure pushing his total to four knee surgeries in the past three years.

By releasing McAllister, who was set to earn $5.3 million in salary and bonuses in 2009, the Saints saved more than $4 million in salary-cap space, a figure that -- coupled with last week's release of receiver David Patten -- will put the team $2 million under the NFL's mandated $123 million salary cap heading into the start of free agency Feb. 27.

But the decision to part ways with McAllister, the Saints' first-round pick in 2001, wasn't purely a cost-cutting measure. Saints Coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis also were worried about whether McAllister still could be a productive player.

"It was just a confluence of a lot of factors," Loomis said. "So it's really no one thing; it's a lot of things. And what makes it particularly difficult is the fact it is Deuce and everything he has meant to your club and the city. That's what it comes down to, that's what made it really difficult."

McAllister agreed.

"It's just a combination of a lot of issues," he said. "I don't think it came down to strictly being a money issue.""
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