AP

Two straight Pro Bowls and 64 appearances in 64 career games ultimately wasn’t enough to save safety Brandon Meriweather. The Patriots have parted ways with the first-round pick from the 2007 draft, according to a league source.

Meriweather’s status had been the subject of rumor and speculation. He recently downplayed to our good buddy Tom Curran of CSNNE.com the fact that coach Bill Belichick had Meriweather playing during garbage time of the preseason finale.

Meriweather, notorious during his time in college for a stomping incident during an on-field brouhaha, was implicated in an offseason shooting. He eventually was cleared by authorities. Last October, he was fined $50,000 for launching head first into Ravens tight end Todd Heap. The fine later was reduced to $40,000.

A four-year veteran, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.