METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints have to remove nearly 40 players from their roster by the end of the week. But it's hard to imagine any of the moves will be tougher personally on the team's decision-makers than Friday's release of linebacker/special teams ace Michael Mauti.
Mauti, 27, worked his way back this summer from a series of three surgeries that finally relieved his longtime battle with ulcerative colitis, a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease.
Mauti said that at one point he got down to 190 pounds -- 50 pounds below his playing weight -- and he had to almost "hack" his body to figure out what he could eat and drink to retain the nutrients and gain the weight back.