Rolando McClain to Be Released by Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders and middle linebacker Rolando McClain will likely part ways soon.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9:48 p.m. ET by Richard Langford

Well, the Raiders have reportedly decided to sever ties with Rolando McClain. ESPN reported the news:

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Oakland Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain has been informed by the team that he will be released on Thursday, according to a source.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 9:38 p.m. ET by Richard Langford

This saga is still unfolding. CBS' Jason La Canfora sent two tweets to help shed some light on this odd situation:

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Rolando McClain and Raiders Coach Dennis Allen had a heated exchange early in practice I'm told. Ended with McClain booted from field...

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 29, 2012"

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which explains his Tweets and the fallout. Allen has said he is not sure if McClain will be allowed to practice Thurs. no further comment

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) November 29, 2012"

Who knows where they go from here, but as terrible as the Raiders' defense has been, they shouldn't hesitate to part ways with anyone on that lackluster unit. 

---End of Update---

Kyle Burger of Alabama-based WVTM-TV reported via Twitter that the former Crimson Tide star had been cut and that McClain was certainly not pleased with his experience in Oakland:

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Former Bama LB Rolando McClain no longer with OAK.He writes: I'm gonna weigh my options. Looking forward to playing for an actual 'team'.

— Kyle Burger (@kyle_burger) November 28, 2012"

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Burger was basing his information on a post from McClain's Facebook page, where the Raiders LB initially wrote, "Officially no longer an Oakland Raider!!” but later added, "Well technically I am. But I’m mentally done. Just waiting on my papers.”

McClain was picked eighth overall by the Raiders in 2010 after starring at Alabama and leading his team to a national championship, but he has not lived up to expectations.

He was decently productive in his first two seasons, racking up 184 total tackles in that span, but he hasn't proved to be the playmaker he was in Tuscaloosa.

In addition, he ran into trouble during the offseason when he was arrested and “sentenced to 180 days in jail for assault and other charges stemming from a fight in his hometown when he allegedly threatened to kill a man and fired a gun next to his head,” as the Associated Press reported (via ESPN). 

Recently, McClain had those charges dropped, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted, but he continued to have problems with the Raiders.

The San Francisco Chronicle noted in a separate post that his playing time has been slashed in recent weeks and he missed practice Wednesday due to “team-related issues.” The comments on his Facebook shed light on why he was kept away from the team. 

McClain is still a first-round talent, and if he is cut then another team will almost certainly take a chance on him. The middle linebacker is likely to get more opportunities to prove that he can be the player he was at Alabama.