Glasgow Caledonians have agreed to release Ian Jardine from his contract with the Reds to allow him to pursue other career opportunities.

The former Scotland international centre was one of the first players to sign professional terms with the Scottish Rugby Union five years ago.

But Reds chief executive David Jordan admitted that the decision to release Jardine was one of the hardest the club had had to take.

``Ian has been an exemplary professional both for Glasgow and latterly for the Reds,'' said Jordan.

``He was one of the first players in Scotland to become a full-time professional rugby player when he agreed terms with the SRU back in 1996.

``He immediately embraced the ethos of what is required in professional rugby and to this day he has been a role model for the many young players that he has played, trained and coached over the years.

``It is always very sad to see an experienced player such as Ian come to the close of his professional rugby career with us but I am sure that he will still play an influential part in the development of the game in Scotland for many years to come.

``Whilst we are disappointed that Ian will no longer be part of our squad, we are very conscious that players such as Ian need time to return to mainstream employment.

``We were therefore very willing to allow Ian the opportunity to take an early release so that he has time to review his future options.

``I know that I speak on behalf of everybody at the Reds in wishing him all the best for the future.''

Meanwhile Reds head coach Richie Dixon is backing Jardine to earn a coaching role in the future.

``It has been an pleasure to work with Ian over the years both in his capacity as a Scotland international and as a professional player for the Reds,'' said Dixon.

``His commitment and enthusiasm has been an inspiration to many of our players and his input will be sadly missed.

``I sincerely hope that he can continue to provide that inspiration in some capacity for years to come. I wish him the very best in his future endeavours.''

Jardine played 56 games for the Reds scoring seven tries and earned his first cap for Scotland against New Zealand in 1993 before going on to make 18 appearances for his country.