On Sunday morning, The Star-Telegram reported that Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory had won his appeal of a 10-game suspension and would face only a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
The report was initially backed up by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but he later offered an amendment to the report stating that Gregory had not won the appeal of his 10-game suspension.
The confusion apparently stemmed from the NFL’s wording as it related to his four-game suspension.
Clarity on Randy Gregory: What became official yesterday was his 4-games. Nothing official yet on his 10-games appeal. Still pending.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 4, 2016
Whether or not Gregory eventually wins his appeal, it remains unclear if he’ll return to the Cowboys in 2016.
The team placed Gregory on the reserve/did not report list before training camp, and as of Sunday afternoon, he remains at a substance abuse treatment facility, according to The Star-Telegram.
Gregory has failed and/or missed four tests since the NFL Combine in 2015, with a fifth failed test suspected as the reason behind his 10-game ban.
The 23-year-old Gregory could return as early as Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals if his 10-game suspension is eventually overturned, but that still remains a long way off. The 2015 second-round pick is not only actively dealing with his substance abuse problems, but is also reportedly in bad shape.
Despite it all, the Cowboys intend to stand behind Gregory throughout his recovery.
“He’s got gifts. He understands he has gifts, God’s gifts,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in May. “He’s got great human skills, personality. He is nothing short of brilliant. Certainly he has his demons. A lack of understanding of where he is is not one of them.
“We pray for him. We want him to him to have the kind of career his gifts would allow him to have, which is an exceptional, exceptional football player. He is probably the top rusher in the last two drafts. We need him. We want to get him back.”
