When Detroit coach Jim Schwartz was asked Thursday why the Lions chose to release cornerback Aaron Berry following his second arrest in a month, he conceded parting ways with a presumptive starter left a hole in the lineup.

Then he pointed out the obvious: Sometimes, tough choices are necessary to protect the team -- and Berry didn't heed the warnings of his teammates' offseason legal issues.

“[Cutting Berry] was a very difficult decision from a football standpoint,” he said. “Aaron had come a long way as a player...and had an outstanding spring for us...From a team standpoint, it was an easy decision. I think every player knew when we left here [after OTAs] -- based on [five previous legal issues involving Lions' players]] in the spring -- of the stakes that were in play for the break before training camp. It was very disappointing that he didn't respond.”

Saying Berry didn't respond is an understatement: He was arrested on DUI charges June 23, and booked for assault involving a handgun 30 days later.

Schwartz didn't specifically address why Berry was released while players like RB Mikel Leshoure and DT Nick Fairley -- who also have multiple legal issues -- were not.

He did, however, repeat the assertion several times that players were warned against committing any further crimes between OTAs and training camp.

Berry's decision to ignore those instructions helped Schwartz come to terms with the prospect of entering camp without a leader in the race to start at CB opposite Chris Houston.

“Knowing what the stakes were going in, if somebody could make two very bad errors in judgment and bad decisions [between OTAs and training camp], what would they do during a big game?” he asked. “Is that the kind of guy who could make good decisions in big games?” 

With Berry gone, the cornerback competition in camp is wide open.

Schwartz, who's about as transparent as a brick wall when discussing the depth chart, predictably balked at revealing who'll move into the first-team role when camp begins. Instead, he praised the offseason efforts of third-round pick Bill Bentley and free agent signing Jacob Lacey, which indicates the pair may be early leaders in the competition when workouts begin Friday.