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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed outside linebacker Randy Gregory on the reserve/did not report list after Gregory failed to report for training camp Tuesday, the team announced.
Gregory also missed all three days of the team’s mandatory minicamp last month, with coach Todd Bowles confirming that those were unexcused absences, which warrants a $101,356 fine.
Gregory is involved in litigation with the NFL and with the Denver Broncos, suing both entities for discrimination. Gregory claims that he was denied use of the drug dronabinol, which is prescribed to him by a doctor for the treatment of social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress. The lawsuit claims that the league and team violated Gregory’s right to disability accommodations under Colorado law.
The lawsuit claims that Gregory had been fined $532,500 since March 2023 for use of synthetic cannabis, which is prohibited by the NFL. While the league no longer suspends players for positive tests, it is still among the league’s banned substances.
Gregory, 31, signed with the Bucs this offseason on a one-year deal worth $3 million, with an additional $2 million possible with incentives.
Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, any player who reports late or misses the start of training camp is subject to a $50,000 fine per day, plus one week’s Paragraph 5 Salary for each preseason game missed.
Although Gregory was not expected to start, he was expected to contribute in a rotational role along with starter Yaya Diaby, rookie Chris Braswell and veteran Anthony Nelson to help fill the void left by Shaq Barrett’s departure.
Source: www.espn.com