The release served as the official conclusion to a bizarre day for Ochocinco, who was at Gillette Stadium in the morning but departed after 10-15 minutes, according to a second source. Ochocinco didn’t practice, and also temporarily removed his Patriots employment from his Twitter profile, which contributed to a whirlwind of speculation that he was on his way out.

Ochocinco reported to the Pats with plenty of hype, and the acquisition seemed inevitable due to his relationship with coach Bill Belichick.

Yet, Ochocinco never got it going. It was obvious from the start that he struggled to learn the offense, and his reps in the 2011 preseason took a hit as a result. And, whenever he showed the slightest glimpse of the player who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of the previous six seasons, Ochocinco fell out of the team’s good graces with mental mistakes.

With so many weapons at Quarterback Tom Brady’s disposal this year, Ochocinco fell even further behind, and that turned out to be too great to overcome. As such, the Patriots attempted a Hail Mary as the clock expired on Ochocinco’s career in New England. When the trade offers fell incomplete, the team said adios.

[via Boston Herald]