Ongoing visa issues have forced the New York Red Bulls to terminate the contract of forward Luke Rodgers, the team announced on Friday.
"After going through the entire immigration and appeals process, Luke's P-1 Visa application has unfortunately been denied by the U.S. government for now. We have spoken with Luke about potential options and have mutually decided that it would be in all parties' best interests to terminate his current MLS contract so he could play elsewhere. However, we will also continue to track his progress this year while working with immigration officials with the goal that he could join the Red Bulls sometime in the future."
Rodgers scored 10 goals in 25 games for New York in 2011.
The visa issues apparently stemmed from Rodgers' criminal record. Rodgers has always been a fairly controversial figure, and the controversy that seems to surround him means the Red Bulls will now have to move on without him.