New England Patriots Release Wide Receiver Chad Ochocinco

After just one season with the New England Patriots, six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has been released, reports ESPN's Adam Schefter.

According to NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal, Ochocinco was spotted briefly at Gillette Stadium for OTAs on Thursday morning but left prior to practice.

Shortly afterwards, the rumor mill was churning, and the wideout's Twitter bio no longer mentioned his association with the Patriots organization.

The quick visit to the Pats' facility was attributed to an "eye appointment" by Schefter. Yet, it proved to be much more than that.

"

After unsuccessfully trying to trade WR Chad Ochocinco throughout the day Thursday, the Patriots are releasing him, per league source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 7, 2012"

With the release of Ochocinco, the Patriots' wide receiver position is now trimmed to 10 players: Wes Welker, Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney, Deion Branch, Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater, Matt Roark, Jeremy Ebert and Donte' Stallworth and Britt Davis.

The former Cincinnati Bengal had just 15 catches for 276 yards and one touchdown in 15 regular season games with New England. The poor production was allegedly the result of a failure to grasp the playbook.

Last July, New England sent a 2012 fifth-round draft pick and a 2013 sixth-round choice to the Bengals in return for Ochocinco, per John Clayton of ESPN.com.

The 34-year-old route runner is now an unrestricted free agent.