The New Orleans Saints have released linebacker Junior Galette. Galette was arrested and charged with domestic violence earlier this offseason, but those charges have since been dropped. Then video surfaced of a man who looks to be Galette hitting a woman with a belt. The video made it to the league office, which led to the two sides setting up a confidential meeting, but the media wasn’t made aware of when that would happen. With this decision from the Saints, obviously there was some sort of evidence that proved Galette was involved.

The Saints will miss Galette sorely on the football field. Over the last two seasons, he racked up 22 sacks which was the most on the team. Losing a pass-rusher with the talent of Galette leaves a huge hole in the Saints’ revamped defense. It will be up to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to figure out a capable replacement.

Galette signed a four-year, $41.5 million contract extension with the Saints, and the team has paid him $18 million in the last year, which shows how frustrated the Saints are with these two incidents. Instead of waiting for the NFL to make a decision on a suspension, which could be anywhere between five and 10 games, the Saints felt they would be better off letting him walk.

Although he will probably have to sit out the 2015 season, Galette will likely get another chance in the NFL. Some team will give him an incentive-based contract due to his ability to rush the passer. Greg Hardy was in an almost identical situation, and he was able to get a contract with the Dallas Cowboys. NFL teams will overlook the off-the-field issues if a player is talented, and Galette is one of the better pass-rushers in the league who’s only 27 years old.

While the move to release Galette will hurt the Saints in the short term on the football field, it was something that had to be done. I applaud the organization for placing domestic violence ahead of football; I just wish the rest of the teams in the NFL felt the same way.

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.