The Detroit Lions have officially cut cornerback Terrion Arnold. The decision came right after a Florida judge allowed Arnold to leave jail on a $1 million bond. Although the judge said Arnold could keep playing football while waiting for his trial, the Lions decided to part ways with him immediately.

At first, cutting Arnold appeared to be a massive financial disaster for Detroit. Fortunately, a special rule in the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement protects the team's finances.

“Essentially, if a player commits certain acts—like being incarcerated, suspended, or otherwise failing to perform his services under the contract,” Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports reported on June 29. “The team can seek to recover certain bonus money and avoid paying future salary that hasn’t been earned.” 

Without the agreement, letting Arnold go immediately would have threatened to trap over $6.6 million in dead money on their team's salary cap, while costing them an extra $2.75 million in real cash. 

This rule in the NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, per Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports, will not erase the team's salary cap penalty immediately, but it saves the owners from losing some actual cash.

Instead of losing the full contract amount, the Lions only have to keep about $3.6 million on their books. This remaining cost is just Arnold's original signing bonus, which will be split between this year and next year. 

While losing millions of dollars still hurts, the special contract rule successfully saved the Lions from a much worse financial catastrophe. 

What happened to Terrion Arnold?

Former Detroit Lions football player Terrion Arnold is facing major legal trouble that could put him in prison for life. The 23-year-old was recently arrested following a serious incident involving his associates.

According to officials, Arnold’s friends trapped and severely hurt three men they believed had stolen from them. The victims were beaten and forced to stay against their will while their personal property was taken. 

Although Arnold was not physically present during the event, police claim he watched the entire incident happen through a live video feed. Investigators now believe he was the main person who planned the act. 

Arnold denies any involvement, and a judge set his bail at one million dollars. Earlier this month, when Arnold found himself in the middle of the accusation, he knew his job would be in danger.

"I wouldn't say it's pressure," Arnold told reporters about his place in the Lions' cornerback room, per Lions Wire. "I feel like, when you go out here in the NFL, competition breeds excellence…(The front office's) job is to go out there and find guys to come into the room to push the guys. When you go out there, and you have environments like that, that's environments that I thrive in…That's what the NFL is all about" 

Right after his arrest, the Lions cut him from the team. He was originally a first-round draft pick out of Alabama, but a major shoulder injury kept him off the field for most of last season. 

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Written by

Aaindri Thakuri

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore