NFL reinstates Steelers WR Bryant
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant missed the 2016 season after multiple failed drug tests in violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
The NFL said Tuesday Martavis Bryant can return to the Steelers.
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers got some long-awaited news Tuesday as the NFL informed the team and suspended wide receiver Martavis Bryant that he could conditionally return to the roster in 2017.
Bryant, 25, was suspended for the entire 2016 season after multiple failed drug tests in violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
The news comes a day after Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said during a news conference that the team was preparing for the NFL Draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday, as if Bryant was not going to be available.
Byrant applied for reinstatement in early March, per league rules, and the Steelers had hoped to have some clarity regarding his status before the draft.
“We appreciate that he has taken the necessary steps in an effort to get his personal life in order,” Colbert said Tuesday in a statement released by the team. “We also understand this is just the beginning as he works to return to the team and meet all of the conditions of his reinstatement.
“We look forward to working with Martavis to ensure that he is mentally and physically prepared to contribute to our efforts on the field, while also maintaining the proper balance to keep his life in order off the field.”
The suspension was the second for Bryant, who was forced to sit out the first four games of the 2015 season for violating the substance abuse policy.
Bryant has been a difference-maker for the Steelers when he has been on the field. In two seasons since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Brynt has appeared in 21 games, catching 76 passes for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In his last game for the Steelers, Bryant had nine receptions for 154 yards and two rushing attempts for another 40 yards in a playoff loss at Denver, when Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown was out with a concussion.
Bryant has been living in Las Vegas, where he has posted a number of photos on social media pages of him working out. He also helped coach a high school football team.
Blessed with excellent speed and size (6-5, 200), Bryant gives the Steelers another receiving weapon opposite Brown.
Sammie Coates stepped into a more prominent role last season in Bryant’s absence but struggled in the second half of the season after suffering two broken fingers.