The mystery deepens in the case of offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye, who the Rams released Thursday with the designation failed physical.
No one will talk about the medical issue that concerned the Rams. Olafioye’s agent, Dan Vertlieb, isn’t returning calls. A television station in Canada claimed there was a kidney problem, but another Canadian source refuted that, while reporting that Olafioye didn’t actually take a physical for the Rams. That leads to the belief the Rams acquired information on his medical history and discovered the problem.
It’s possible the concern was related to Olafioye’s heart. While at North Carolina Central, Olafioye missed some games because of a suspected enlarged heart. When he was asked about that after signing with the British Columbia Lions in 2010, Olafioye told the Vancouver Sun, “My blood pressure was high and they were kind of scared.”
Olafioye cleared waivers Friday, making him a free agent.
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The Rams won a low-level bidding war for offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye this week, and then abruptly cut him Thursday after he failed a physical.
Olafioye played two seasons in the CFL and made a name for himself with aggressive play. He was on the CFL All-Star team last season and also finished second in voting for the league's outstanding lineman award.
There were as many as 15 NFL teams interested and the Rams guaranteed him $85,000 in base salaries in the first two years of his contract. He agreed to terms Feb. 3, the contract was reported to the league Feb. 6, the contract was disapproved on a technicality Feb. 7, was reported again Feb. 8 and he was waived Feb. 9. The Rams would not comment on what caused Olafioye to fail the physical.
His agent, Dan Vertlieb, released a statement saying, "The St. Louis Rams have notified Jovan Olafioye that they have released him from his contract due to their concerns about a medical issue. Given the closing window to explore opportunities in the NFL in Jovan's current CFL contract, he will return to the B.C. Lions for another season after thoroughly addressing his status."
A statement from Olafioye said, “While this news was unexpected, I am very happy to be returning to my family at the BC Lions.”
Wally Buono, vice president of football operations and general manager of the Lions, also issued a statement that said, “We are pleased to welcome Jovan back and we will work with him closely in (the) coming months to ensure any issues that may have arisen are addressed.”
CFL players whose contracts expire have until Feb. 15 each year to sign with an NFL team. However, Olafioye is now in the NFL waiver system and could be claimed by teams Friday.
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