Pitoitua waived; Brown, Chard signed
ROPATI PITOITUA, defensive end
Was born in Samoa and played basketball in high school until he was introduced to football in his junior year. Credit: Newsday file photo
Ropati Pitoitua is one of the first post-draft casualties.
The Jets announced Wednesday that they waived the defensive lineman, who had 19 tackles and a sack in 2011 following Achilles surgery in the 2010 preseason.
Pitoitua's height -- 6-foot-8 -- was a plus, especially for head coach Rex Ryan. Upon his return from injury last year, Pitoitua received a one-year, $1.3 million contract extension through 2012 and a $150,000 signing bonus.
The team also officially announced the signings of former Rams kicker Josh Brown and long snapper Derek Chard, a UConn product who worked at Merril Lynch after being released from Steelers' camp last July.
Chard's got a pretty interesting story.
