MCALISTER: “IT’S A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW”

The Baltimore Ravens officially announced the release of former Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister, terminating his contract today. As first reported by Pro Football Talk earlier today, the Ravens parted ways with McAlister, a three-time Pro Bowl selection drafted in the first round of the 1999 draft out of Arizona. McAlister made the following comments in an interview this afternoon with Baltimore radio station 105.7 FM: “It’s kind of strange how it all happened. It’s a tough pill to swallow at the end of the day. It’s one of those things that no player, especially after being with an organization as long as I’ve been, wants to hear that they’ve been released. It happens. It’s part of the game. “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m still dealing with the shock of the whole thing. I can’t imagine that this happened. I never thought it would hapen. I’ll bounce back. I still love football. I still want to play football.” When asked about his reported clashes with the coaching staff and how he received the news, McAlister related: “As far as mending fences, some fences I can’t comment on. This is a blind shot to me as well. I went in to take my exit physical and I sat down and talked to coach [John] Harbaugh for 15 minutes and talked about how I felt about coming back and the conditioning program and he said we would talk in a couple of days. “I left his office and two minutes later walked into the general manager’s office, Ozzie Newsome, and got cut. The whole way it went down is probably the most disappointing thing to me. As far as mending fences, they can’t be mended at this point. There’s nothing I can do to change the situation.” As for his surgically repaired knee, McAlister said he’s on schedule to be cleared for “100 percent football activity” by May or June. McAlister underwent surgery in November. “First, we want to thank Chris for all he did for the Ravens in the past 10 years,” Newsome said in a statement. “He was a major contributor to many big wins, including the Super Bowl. To play the type of defense we have used here, you have to have corners who can cover one-on-one. He was one of the best at that for us. He was physical, and he could run with the best.” McAlister, 31, played in just six games before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury that required surgery. He intercepted three passes last season. “All of us who had the opportunity to coach Chris for the first time this season have an appreciation for all the good things he did for the team through the years,” Harbaugh said. “He’ll be remembered by us and the fans as one of the best to ever play for the Ravens. He’s a tough guy and loves football. He’ll play again, and he’ll play well.”