Suspended Dallas Cowboys DE Randy Gregory frustrated with lack of NFL reinstatement
Suspended Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory is growing increasingly frustrated with the NFL’s lack of action on his reinstatement application.
Gregory took to social media Wednesday in an attempt to explain his situation and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the process.
“I really miss playing football and being a player in the NFL,” Gregory said in a statement. “I’m doing everything that is asked of me, and I’m in great shape physically, mentally, and emotionally, but I’m being held back from furthering my career because of COVID and testing. I’ve been ready to play and test for months but still have gotten little to no help to resolve my reinstatement.
Gregory, 27, is serving his fourth suspension for violation of the NFL’s substances of abuse policy and he has failed or missed at least six tests with the Cowboys.
“I’m asking more questions than I’m getting answered. It’s amazing that the powers that be can keep passing the buck and also use this pandemic as a way to prevent me from joining my team. Telling me to just sit and wait in limbo over things I can’t control, all the while doing everything right off the field is unfair and flat out wrong.”
Per Pro Football Talk, the NFL wants a testing record and but hasn’t tested him for six months because of COVID-19.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones told the Star-Telegram last month that the team remains hopeful of Gregory’s return.
The former 2015 second-round pick has been suspended for 46 games of his career and has not played since 2018. The new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the Players Association ends the policy of suspending players for positive marijuana tests.
But it does not provide amnesty for players like Gregory who were serving suspensions at the time the new CBA was adopted. He still needs approval from commissioner Roger Goodell, who has yet to rule on the issue.
He has played in 28 games in five seasons with the Cowboys. In 2018, he played 14 games and recorded six sacks.
Gregory’s hope is partially rooted in the new CBA but also the recent reinstatement of Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith after being out of the league since 2015 due to an indefinite suspension.
The Cowboys have already started training camp and the slow process has put an already-behind Gregory even further behind if and when he gets reinstated.
