Winnipeg Blue Bombers release veteran American players Turner and Denmark

WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released veteran American players Bryant Turner and Clarence Denmark on Tuesday.

Turner, a defensive tackle, and Denmark, a receiver, both originally signed with Winnipeg in 2011.

“These are the types of difficult decisions that must be made throughout the off-season,” Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters said in a statement. “Both Bryant and Clarence have done great things for this organization both on and off the field for a long time now.

“The Winnipeg Blue Bombers sincerely thank both men for the dedication, hard work, and effort they put forth. We wish them the very best moving forward.”

The six-foot-two 279-pound Turner had 89 tackles, 26 sacks and four forced fumbles during his tenure with Winnipeg. He had a career-high 20 tackles in 2012, then followed that up by registering a career-best seven sacks in 2013.

Turner recorded 17 tackles and four sacks in 10 games with Winnipeg last season.

The five-foot-10 189-pound Denmark had 57 catches for 718 yards and three TDs in 2015. He was a CFL all-star in 2014 after finishing second overall in receiving yards with 1,080.