After being suspended for one year, the National Football League has reinstated Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory on a conditional basis on Tuesday.
The 2015 second-round pick missed 30 of the last 32 regular season games after violating the league's policy on substance abuse. According to the league, Gregory can now attend the camp and take part in meetings and conditioning work but he is still not cleared to practice or suit up in games.
Nonetheless, Gregory expressed his excitement upon hearing the news by thanking the people who supported him during the recovery process. The Cowboys star will be fully cleared to return to action after the league can confirm his clinical resources in Dallas and if he continues to follow the protocols of the NFL.
"I'm very excited. Thanks to the ones who supported me and stood by me. It's a lot more to the story than it seems, and it took me a lot to get to this point. Now I'm ready to make some plays," Gregory said.
During his rehabilitation, Gregory met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in New York wherein the former and his attorneys provided the league numerous test results, recommendations, and personal letters from teammates Jeff Heath, Tyrone Crawford, and Sean Lee. The training camp of the Cowboys is scheduled on July 26.
Gregory Hopes To Bounce Back
The 25-year-old Gregory entered into the league in 2015 but he only played a total of 14 career games on top of one sack into his name. The return of Gregory is a welcome addition to the defense of Dallas, who suffered a major black eye with the suspension of David Irving. Irving was suspended by the league for four games after breaching the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The Nebraska product missed four games during his rookie season with the Cowboys after an ankle injury. He was suspended for four games in the 2016 season and ended up in the NFL's substance abuse program. Gregory was suspended for an additional 10 games thereafter due to a failed test.
Gregory will be joining the talented Cowboys lineup that features Crawford, DeMarcus Lawrence, Maliek Collins, Kony Ealy, Datone Jones, and Taco Charlton. Lawrence is coming off a stellar year last season accumulating 14.5 sacks in the Pro Bowl.
Patrik Walker of 247Sports is certain that this will likely be the final chance of Gregory to play in the NFL. Gregory who signed a four-year deal with the Cowboys in 2015 will remain with the team until 2020 due to suspensions.
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