Vontae Davis Released by Colts After Saying He Felt Disrespected by Chuck Pagano

The Indianapolis Colts announced the release of veteran defensive back Vontae Davis on Thursday morning.

Davis' departure from the organization comes one day after he told reporters he felt "disrespected" by Colts head coach Chuck Pagano when he was demoted for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. 

"It should be more about the respect," he said. "I'm a professional. I've been in [the NFL] long enough. When I look at the situation, I feel like there was no respect. Knowing Chuck, I figured it would come from him. It really bothered me."

Davis also explained his recent lackluster performance could be attributed to a lingering groin injury, an issue he relayed to the Indianapolis training staff.

"But now, my play slips and this? They should have come to me way earlier and said, 'Vontae, you're not yourself. You're not playing well,'" he told reporters. "I told the trainers my groin was not responding."

Meanwhile, Mike Wells of ESPN.com reported late Wednesday that Davis was planning to undergo season-ending groin surgery after reviewing medical options following his removal from the starting lineup.

The 29-year-old University of Illinois product tallied 21 combined tackles, two passes defended and no interceptions across five appearances this season. 

Davis joined the Colts in 2012 as part of a trade with the Miami Dolphins, with whom he spent the first three seasons of his career. He was set to become a free agent at season's end after five-plus years with Indianapolis before his release.

Rashaan Melvin and Pierre Desir are slated to remain the team's starting corners heading into Sunday's home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium.