It didn’t take long for Bashaud Breeland to share his side of the story.
Following the announcement that the Minnesota Vikings released him on Saturday, Breeland took to Twitter, where he has a polarizing presence.
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But while many fans know Breeland for a NSFW tweet where he bashed fans earlier this season, the 29-year-old cornerback made his departure from Minnesota more graceful than his tenure with the Vikings.
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‘No Love Lost’
The Vikings announced Breeland was waived Saturday afternoon after the veteran cornerback got into a “verbal altercation” with coaches and players.
“The #Vikings waived starting CB Bashaud Breeland after he got into a verbal altercation today at practice with coaches, took off his cleats and got into it with multiple teammates who were trying to calm the situation, sources tell me and (Ian Rapoport). Too much to come back from,” Pelissero tweeted.
Breeland shared a similar response with many observers of the team.
“Wow,” Breeland tweeted.
Breeland was reprimanded for various reasons, with Saturday’s altercation serving as the last straw.
His performance didn’t live up to the billing when Minnesota signed him to a one-year, $3 million contract last offseason.
Through Week 14, Breeland ranked 117th out of 120-graded cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus (PFF) with a 47.2 defensive grade this season. He was the Vikings’ most-targeted cornerback, allowing a team-high 59 receptions on 85 targets for 795 yards and six touchdowns. Breeland allowed a 112.6 passer rating when thrown his way.
His behavior off the field also raised red flags for the organization.
Star Tribune reporter Ben Goessling reported that Breeland is also subject of a civil lawsuit filed in October, “brought by neighboring tenants who claimed Breeland’ and his several guests have been smoking cannabis,’ and the apartment would not ‘disrupt’ Breeland ‘solely due to the fact he is a Minnesota Vikings football player.'”
“Breeland has a court hearing scheduled for January 11, but his name did not show up in Hennepin or Dakota County arrest records, and the $15,000 lawsuit was filed months ago,” Goessling added, via Twitter.
But despite the tough feelings that came out on Saturday, Breeland bid Minnesota a cordial farewell.
“I wanna appreciate the Vikings for the opportunity they game no hard feelings no love lost,” Breeland continued in a separate tweet.
I wanna appreciate the Vikings for the opportunity they game no hard feelings no love lost. #17familia #Swilyfe #New17
He followed that message with a quote: “This is your last night in Minnesota,” a potential conversation he shared within the building while tensions were still high.
“This your last night in Minnesota”
Before going silent on Twitter, Breeland followed that quote with a tweet saying, “theirs mines truth.”
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theirs mines truth
A Larger Issue in Minnesota
Breeland’s antics on Saturday could be a siren of a larger issue for the Vikings.
Despite being the most criticized cornerback on the team, Breeland is not alone in his struggles. No Minnesota cornerback is ranked within the top 70 cornerbacks in the league by PFF. Mackensie Alexander, signed last offseason on a one-year deal, is ranked 119th out of 120 with a 43.7 defensive grade this season.
Patrick Peterson, ranked 71st of 120 cornerbacks, was one of the splashiest free-agency signings last offseason that inspired hope of a transformation on the defensive side of the ball.
There’s been no evolution on defense so far.
Meanwhile, former Vikings first-round pick Mike Hughes is coming off a Week 14 performance that earned himself AFC Defensive Player of the Week with a Kansas City Chiefs defense that has shown vast improvement over the season.
Breeland is plenty familiar with the success in Kansas City, making two Super Bowl appearances with the Chiefs and winning one title in 2019.
However, Breeland’s winning ways didn’t brush off on the secondary, which continues to be the bane of Minnesota’s defense — most recently giving up a touchdown to the Detroit Lions for their only win of the season so far and allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to nearly come back from a 28-point deficit in Week 14.
Second-year cornerback Cameron Dantzler slots into Breeland’s starting role on primetime Monday against a Chicago Bears offense averaging a league-worst 176.5 passing yards — an opportune time for the Vikings defense to find its form.
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Bashaud Breeland Makes Strong Statement After Vikings Release Veteran CB