Foxboro, Mass.-The New England Patriots announced that they have released veteran wide receiver Bert Emanuel from the 53-man roster and rookie free agent offensive tackle Tom Ashworth from the practice squad.
Emanuel, 30, was signed by the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on March 30, 2001. He started for the Patriots in the season opener and had four receptions for 25 yards. The last two games, he was listed among the team's inactives as the third quarterback. In eight seasons, he has recorded 334 receptions for 4,631 yards and 28 touchdowns. The 5-foot-10-inch, 185-pound wide receiver has started 83 of 97 career games played. He was originally drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He spent four seasons with the Falcons, two years with the Buccaneers and one year with the Miami Dolphins before joining the Patriots this year.
Ashworth, 23, was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers as a rookie free agent out of Colorado. The 6-foot-6-inch, 295-pound offensive tackle played two seasons at tight end for the Buffaloes before making the transition to offensive tackle as a junior. He played in three preseason games for the 49ers before being waived on Aug. 27, 2001. He was signed to the Patriots practice squad on Sept. 4, 2001.
