Pittsburgh Riverhounds terminate Romeo Parkes' contract

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have reacted swiftly and decisively to the fact that one of their players has made the club famous for all the wrong reasons.

Romeo Parkes slammed his studs into Karl Ouimette's back on Saturday (May 7) night. By Sunday (May 8) morning, Parkes was arguably the best-known Pittsburgh Riverhound in the history of the club. But not in a good way. By Sunday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the original incident, the Riverhounds took the quickest possible route to putting the matter behind them: they announced Parkes is no longer a member of their team.

In an official statement on the club's website, the Riverhounds announced they had terminated Romeo Parkes' contract for "conduct detrimental to the team and the United Soccer League". The statement includes quotes from team owner Tuffy Shallenberger:

We understand the severity of this situation and made it a point to respond as quickly as possible within our power.

And head coach Mark Steffens:

The discipline being handed out is one that we, as a staff, consider to be fair and completely justified. The actions were not representative of what this team stands for as a whole.

Romeo Parkes is now a free agent.