Forget about the accusations of domestic violence, because it appears Junior Galette had troubles in his own locker room as well.
According to the Times-Picayune, Galette frequently caused problems in the Saints’ locker room — with several unnamed teammates saying Galette displayed erratic behavior, he fought with his teammates and became lazy after signing a four-year, $41.5 million extension with New Orleans last September.
Multiple team sources said the Saints grew weary of Galette’s behavior soon after rewarding him with the new deal and spent virtually the entire offseason trying to sever ties. Saints officials went over various scenarios in the past six months to rid themselves of Galette, from seeking possible trade partners to his outright release, which would result in a massive salary cap hit.
A former Saints teammate told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune of Galette: “He stayed focused long enough to get paid, then the real Junior came out. Sad.”
Galette’s change in attitude after the new contract coupled with his arrest in January on a domestic violence charge in Kenner ultimately sealed his fate with the organization, sources said. Team officials were on board with jettisoning Galette even before a video surfaced in June that showed a man identified as Galette by a league source striking a woman with a belt.
Galette was voted a captain by teammates at the beginning of last season, but that likely was because of his huge contract, and less about his true leadership qualities.
