New England Patriots

Bill Belichick said Malcolm Mitchell did ‘everything he could’

"It’s unfortunate that didn’t work out."

Malcolm Mitchell during the 2016 season.

The Patriots announced the release of wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell on Monday, but it wasn’t for lack of effort on the part of the 25-year-old.

Beset by injuries, Mitchell’s last game was Super Bowl LI, in which he caught six passes for 70 yards in helping the Patriots to a historic victory over the Falcons. Yet he was unable to play in all of 2017, and struggled to get on the field at training camp this year.

Asked about Mitchell in his morning press conference, Bill Belichick offered sympathetic analysis.

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“He did everything he could, did everything he could,” Belichick reiterated. “It’s unfortunate that didn’t work out, but I don’t know how he could have put any more into it than he did.”

Mitchell was working his way back from last year’s knee injury. He offered a goodbye message to New England fans in an Instagram post.