Rodney Austin Released By Detroit Lions Following Assault Charges

The Detroit Lions have released offensive guard Rodney Austin after he was arrested in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He was charged with four crimes, including two counts of assault — one of a female and the other of a child — larceny and “interfering with emergency communication.”

Austin, who was arrested Friday and released on bail, was officially released from the team today. Way back in the midst of the Ray Rice scandal, Coach Jim Caldwell talked about his policy when it came to domestic violence.

“We do have a zero-tolerance policy and one of the things we want to make certain of is that we do things the right way,” Caldwell stated. “That’s key to us. How we act on and off the field, how we represent this organization, how we represent the Ford family, how we represent the National Football League… We don’t believe there’s any place for domestic violence.”

Austin got his professional start with the Detroit Lions. After not being drafted in 2012, the Elon alum was signed to the practice squad of the NFC North team. Since then, he has been bouncing  back and forth between the practice squad and the 53-man roster: he appeared in only one game in 2013.

However, with the Lions’ lack of depth at the interior lineman position, he was expected to step up in 2015: besides Larry Warford and Travis Swanson, there is very little else there. His departure pretty much asserts the team’s biggest need during next week’s NFL draft.

Rodney Austin’s court date is set for June 5.