UPDATE 06/7/12 3:08 PM: ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Ochocinco left the Patriots' training facility due to an eye doctor appointment, and was not released. -Jared
When you cover a player such as Chad Ochocinco, you expect to see your fair share of strange stories. File the most recent rumors surrounding Chad Ochocinco under that category. At OTA's today, Ochocinco wasn't present. Couple that with the fact that he still has yet to fully grasp the offense, and the fact that he took the "New England Patriots wide receiver" off his Twitter bio, and it's easy to see why fans could think Ochocinco is on the way out the door. Heck, even the Patriots.com Twitter account posted a poll asking whether or not Ochocinco would be a Patriot by the end of the day.
Don't shut the door behind him too fast, though. The Boston Herald is reporting that Ochocinco has yet to be cut:
Ochocinco was not at practice today, and a source told colleague Karen Guregian that he was at Gillette Stadium this morning, though he left 10-15 minutes later. Then, due to the fact that Ochocinco's Twitter bio doesn't include any information about the Patriots, speculation swirled that he was cut. (It's extremely dangerous to assume anything from a Twitter account.)
However, a source just said Ochocinco "is on the Patriots."
Make of this what you will. At this point, no matter what happens between now and the end of the offseason, Ochocinco looks like a longer shot for the roster. He'll have a chance, but he really needs to prove himself in training camp and during the preseason.
So for now, Chad Ochocinco is still a member of the Patriots. Whether that is still the case at the end of the day, the week, the month, or preseason remains to be seen.