Four Months After Release, Former Titans Defender Challenges Reported Lack of 'Effort and Attitude'

“I was in Tennessee four years. I never had work ethic questions or work ethic issues until I asked for a release," former Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart said this week. "I think it was just better to not be a part of that situation anymore. Me personally, I just felt like I needed a culture change, honestly."

NASHVILLE — Former Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Teair Tart this week pushed back on a months-old report that a lack of effort led to his release in December.

Tart, who signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2020, became a solid rotational player for three seasons until the team cut him after a December victory against the Miami Dolphins. An ESPN story, attributing a team source, said that the Titans moved on from Tart because of issues with "effort and attitude."

Tart, now with the Miami Dolphins, rebuffed the assertions about his work rate during a press conference on Tuesday .

“I was in Tennessee four years. I never had work ethic questions or work ethic issues until I asked for a release – but coming from a (Bill) Belichick situation, you’ve got to play hard, you’ve got to practice hard – which I found really weird. I think in a lot of things, you can expect me to be competitive, spirited. I’m not afraid to show emotion out there on the field and really get after it and compete.

"I’m really just excited for a new beginning honestly. Tennessee is the past. I was at Houston after that, that’s the past, " Tart said. "I’m here in Miami now. I’m excited to get to know the fans. I’m excited to play hard for this organization. I think it was just better to not be a part of that situation anymore. Me personally, I just felt like I needed a culture change, honestly."

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