Antonio Pierce has been released by the Giants. "I was shocked at first, but I'm not the one up there up in the office, and they said they felt they needed to go in another direction," Pierce told ESPN's Rachel Nichols on Thursday. "They said it wasn't my health, or the way I played, but just that -- that they were going in another direction. We left everything smooth and peaceful and I'm happy about that -- I felt like I said everything I needed to say to them. I've loved my time in New York and won't have anything but good feelings about being with this team." Pierce said the reason he was in the New York area was to have a doctor look at the herniated disc in his neck that caused him to miss the final seven games of last season. He said the MRI was "very positive." "I can't say I'm 100 percent yet, but with the season still six months away, I'm right where I need to be and I'm going to be fine," he said.