CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Gladiators closed out their first-ever training camp on Saturday, February 23, with Head Coach Mike Wilpolt trimming the roster down to the 22 players.  A total of seven players were waived or released.   Among those were QB Jason Fife (6.4, 225) and AFL veteran DB Terrance Joseph (6.1, 201).

“It’s always hard on cut-down day,” Wilpolt said.  “Our guys worked extremely hard this camp and it’s tough to tell a guy that they don’t fit into our plans right now.  They are all true professionals and accepted the decisions of the coaching staff.”

Fife most recently spent time in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints.  Joseph is a seven-year AFL veteran who has amassed 257 tackles in 72 career games.

“We released some very talented athletes, but it makes us feel good about our roster heading into our inaugural game,” President & CEO Bernie Kosar said.

Other players waived were DB Scott Cunningham (5.10, 185), WR Richard Alston (6.0, 214), OL Brandon Leyritz (6.3, 330), FB/LB Gustavus Tyson (6.3, 255) and FB/LB Jon Sessler (6.3, 260).  The team placed DL Elex Reed (6.5, 270) on Injured Reserve.

Former ADT Defensive Player of the Year DL Silas Demary (6.3, 285) was activated from Injured Reserve and added to the roster.  In addition, DL Khaleed Vaughn (6.4, 278) was traded to Kansas City for future considerations.

The Cleveland Gladiators are set to kick off their inaugural Arena Football League season on Monday, March 3 versus the New York Dragons at Quicken Loans Arena.  Group, season and Flex Book packages can be purchased by calling 216.685.9000.  Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at all TicketMaster locations, calling 216.241.2121, or by visiting http://www.clevelandgladiators.com/.