Earlier this month, we heard that Martavis Bryant was set to apply for reinstatement. Over the weekend, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) learned that the former Steelers and Raiders wide receiver has not actually submitted the paperwork. Bryant still hopes to play but RapSheet says there’s “more work to be done” and, therefore, it seems unlikely that Bryant will play this season. 
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Bryant, 27, has been seeking treatment for mental health issues, including ADHD. He’s been in hot water with the league office on multiple occasions over the years, including the 2016 season was that was wiped out by a substance-abuse ban. Last year, he “seriously angered” the NFL during his appeal process and he’s been critical of Roger Goodell‘s handling of players with mental health issues in the past.
At last check, Bryant was taking drug tests to prove his sobriety. In order to be reinstated, he’ll have to test clean, and continue to test clean over time.
The Raiders gave up the No. 79 overall pick in the 2018 draft to acquire Bryant from the Steelers. In eight games, Bryant caught 19 passes for 266 yards. Previous to that, Bryant notched 17 touchdowns in just 36 contests for the Steelers, while averaging 15.2 yards per catch. He’s a talented deep threat, but he’ll have to get his affairs in order before he can retake the field.
I think this decision has already been made with or without the proper paperwork.
Thanks for the pair of free third round picks, Oakland! Did you enjoy the headcases that were Bryant and Brown?
I remember when the Steelers “lost” both of those trades.
I at least understand the negative perception behind the Brown trade, as only the Steelers really understood the extent of his issues. However, it was clear Bryant couldn’t overcome his drug issues and was even dividing the lockerroom. It’s not as though his play really justified the relinquishment of such a draft pick in the first place
Hell, I thought that the Brown trade was fairly obvious as to the reasoning there. Steelers shed a disgruntled player, Raiders get a playmaker. Brown was going to be a problem in Pittsburgh, and they managed to get something out of it instead of straight up cutting him. I didn’t see the criticisms there. Brown wasn’t worth much because teams figured that he’d be available in free agency or on the cheap due to his issues. This wasn’t the normal case of a great player being available. Seemed like a win-win at the time. Turns out, Brown was actually setting the Raiders up and immediately began acting like a petulant child. I actually felt pretty bad for Gruden and Mayock for getting used in that situation.
With Bryant though…well, you knew exactly what kind of risks were involved there.
It used to be, many, many years ago, that the Raiders could successfully rehab guys like that. Sadly, just like having winning teams and making playoff appearances, those days are gone.