Linebacker Zack Follett has in fact been released by the Detroit Lions. Follett said he was no longer a Lion last night on Twitter, and team president Tom Lewand confirmed the move today.
"I just wanted to confirm the release of Zack Follett last night and thank him," said Lewand. "(It's) a credit to him that he worked as hard as he did during the offseason to be at a point where he could return to football. We made a decision that I think was in our best interest and I think probably in his best interest."
Lewand said that Follett was "waived healthy," meaning he was not dealing with an injury when the Lions decided to let him go. His neck was definitely an issue, though. Based on Follett saying his neck was on fire, this move was made, as Lewand said, with both sides' best interest in mind.
Follett has been a solid contributor for the Lions on and off the field the last two years, but in the end the risk of a serious injury was just too high.