A matter involving prescription medication has prompted former Broncos edge rusher Randy Gregory to sue the team and the NFL, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reports.
The current Buccaneer’s lawsuit indicates he has been fined more than $500K over the past year and change for taking medications that include THC. Gregory’s suit alleges discrimination. The veteran edge defender claims he was denied a therapeutic use exemption for this medication and subsequently fined $533K by the league. The Broncos were not involved with levying the fines, per Gabriel.
Although the 2020 CBA brought relaxed policies regarding recreational drugs, THC remains a banned substance. Players are no longer suspended under the positive THC tests, but fines remain in play. Gregory’s suit said he sought permission to use a drug he was prescribed for a social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, Dronabinol, during non-work hours but was denied. Gregory, who often ran afoul of the league’s stricter drug policy during the 2010s, has been open about his anxiety disorder.
Gregory, 31, initially sought permission from the Broncos and NFL to use Dronabinol in March 2023 but was denied, Gabriel adds. Another therapeutic use exemption request ended up denied, per the suit, in May 2023. It is not known how many fines Gregory incurred; players are to be fined a half-week’s salary for positive THC tests, with the penalty increasing to three weeks’ pay later in this process. Gregory was attached to a five-year, $70MM deal with the Broncos from 2022 until the team traded him to the 49ers in October 2023.
The suit alleges the NFL and Broncos’ unwillingness to provide the former second-round pick “reasonable accommodation” is discriminatory under Colorado low, and he is seeking damages. Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021, with Gabriel noting the post-traumatic stress diagnosis emerged in February 2023. Gregory signed with the Broncos in March 2022. The former Cowboys draftee initially filed discrimination charges against the Broncos and the NFL in July 2023.
The Nebraska product incurred four substance-abuse suspensions from 2016-19. He missed all of the 2017 and ’19 seasons due to bans, playing only two games in 2016 as well. Gregory resurfacing with a productive stretch from 2020-21 fetched him a $14MM-per-year contract, but he did not live up to the deal in Denver. Injuries sidelined him for most of 2022, which also included a chapter in which Gregory reneged on a Cowboys pact at the 11th hour due to contract language.
Denver traded Gregory to San Francisco in October, only securing a Day 3 pick-swap agreement despite paying most of the outside linebacker’s salary to facilitate a deal. Gregory signed a one-year, $3MM contract with Tampa Bay in April.
Gosh, can you believe this is a guy who was seen as a top 10 talent, but fell to pick 60 on character concerns? I’m all for player empowerment, and I think the NFL used to punish players way too harshly for cannabis violations when you consider the pain level of playing NFL football and the dangerous alternatives. But this one really feels like a nuisance lawsuit from a guy who’s made millions and millions of dollars in spite of his best attempts to get in his own way at every possible turn.
The thing that gets me is that, had his medication been CBD, he’d have a better argument, right? THC is a different matter. I don’t know enough about this medication or Gregory’s own concerns to determine anything specifically, however, and that limits my judgement and ability to effect an informed decision.
I think I’d be interested in knowing 1; how much these actually help, and 2; if there are THC-less alternatives that he could take and be as effective to remain in the NFL’s rules. Of course, this is purely for my own curiosity, as the legal ramifications of any ruling are far out of my jurisdiction.
The NFL and the Players Union have negotiated an agreement and agreed to a list of drugs that are not allowed to be used by players. He violated the agreement and was levied the appropriate penalties as agreed to. If anything his problem is with HIS OWN UNION and not the NFL Follow the agreement or become a Wal Mart host a few years early.
It seems, based on my understanding, that CBD heavy products improve anti-anxiety effects better than THC heavy products. CBD, however, doesn’t have those same side effects. Again, I don’t know specifics on the medication Gregory is taking (or trying to take) and I am not a medical expert, but it seems that hd could have switched to an unbanned, and probably more effective, product. I can’t speak for Gregory, at least accurately, but there are a lot of people who could use CBD instead of THC, but unwilling to give up the high for the other effects (which constitute the majority of the positive effects of marijuana).
He obviously sought permission to use this drug, was denied, and did it anyway. It’s not like he asked and then sued. He asked, got denied, did it anyway, and then sued. Well, it seems that way at least. Even if he was waiting on pre-negotiations to finish and for the Complaint to get drafted, it still has been a while, and $400,000 doesn’t appear overnight. Gregory knew that he would be fined, and did it anyway. If he wins his case, sure, the NFL could be ordered to pay it back, and it’s likely in that event. But there is a bit of “having his cake and eating it too” that comes with that (no munchies references implied…intentionally).
CBD helps. THC, not so much. In my experienced opinion. After my TBI CBD helped me with pain, severe bouts of nausea and my ability to speak clearly. THC gives you the high, which I don’t particularly enjoy.
Guys he doesn’t want an APPROVED medicine! He wants to smoke weed and be high and play football. Except it isn’t allowed. He thinks he’s SPECIAL! He’s not. Let him smoke weed and work at Mickey D’s. Tons of guys do that. Judging by the last hamburger I got there. Some of my Big Mac even made it into the box.
I’m shocked Randy Gregory is still using THC. Shocked I say!
Maybe he’s just too ” Twitchy” to play professional football then. Time to get a jump on that dishwasher job that’s in your future. ” You want fries with dat”?
Useless dope head. Can’t play football, can’t fight, and blames everyone else for his shortcomings. He’s looking for a payday so he can sit at home and smoke dope. Kinda funny, a dope, smoking dope. How many times has Bozo been suspended? The Broncos didn’t do anything to me, but they should still pay for it. I guess I’d be depressed too if I had a life full of such promise and screwed it up so badly.
Or, ” i don’t care who you are Mr. Goodell, We don’t serve breakfast after 11 AM!”.
Glad you think mental health is a laughing matter….
I think a useless crybaby who uses marijuana as a crutch is a laughing matter. He’s obviously a malcontent who is either to stupid to realize he’s screwed up his whole career, or such a pothead he can’t understand that why he can’t smoke pot and still play. We are taking his word that the league wouldn’t let him have his meds and play. Unless they comment, and they don’t usually do that when there’s pending litigation, we won’t know the whole story. I think that people who take someone’s side without all of the facts are pretty funny too. Look back, you will find Mr Gregory went to 3or 4 different colleges, why? Was he depressed or a doofus? He dropped down the draft boards,why?
Depression or jackass? He’s lived all his life as a guy who could have been great, but chose marijuana even after how many suspensions? That’s more dummy than depression to me.
It seems people always want to talk about anxiety and grandma’s aches for reason it should be legalized, but walk around any major city for a little bit and see the braindead zombies that it really caters to. Those commercials with the egg and frying pan were on to something.
Not that I agree or disagree with anything, but I think that the Broncos are being sued because the law that Gregory is suing under here is a Colorado law. Denver is being used as a vehicle for the suit because he needs to have, or is just helped by having, a Colorado entity enforcing the rule to make the NFL law applicable to him in Colorado. He’s basically suing the NFL through the Broncos, if this is the case.
It would be interesting to see Denver argue that, as someone not levying the fines, they shouldn’t be liable, and removed as a party, and then the NFL gets detached, and the suit falls through. I absolutely highly doubt that happens, of course, but it’d be kind of interesting.
It hasn’t got anything to do with Mental Health. He just wants to smoke weed and play football. There is an agreement in place of a list of things not approved by his own union. He just thinks he’s SPECIAL. He’s not. Can’t think of any other job he’d be allowed to do while stoned. His job opportunities will be non existent so let him get on with it. And it’s not funny. It’s stupid.
Bingo!
Yeah that and the Walmart fortune.
It’s crazy to me how people bring legal action against their boss and still keep their job.
It’s illegal to fire an employer who exercises their worker’s rights.
The personification of the last 20 years of Nebraska football.
Somehow I don’t think multi millionaires with anxiety disorders are going to attract a lot of sympathy from the unemployed or people on fixed incomes.
That’s too bad because mental health doesn’t care about your net worth…
The people who can provide or deny treatment certainly care about your net worth.
Guessing he smoked up all of his money, is no longer a multimillionaire and is looking for a payday…
“Why doesn’t this ingrate punk just shut his mouth and drink himself to death. Or just get hooked on opioids like a normal American!”
The wrong person can still be right sometimes. No reason this is banned in the context of what they allow.
Amen 66. He has a proper and legit diagnosis and states all across the country have medical marijuana cards so they obviously believe it has medicinal uses. He was employed in the state of Colorado where the whole legalization started. Especially if he’s just seeking return or fines but wouldnt hate on him for seeking something in the ways of how his character and view around league affected his image and value. States all over America have voted to legalize it but a bunch of people on here openly hate on the guy because he’s rich like rich people can’t have anxiety and aren’t entitled to the same treatment as the middle class or even the impoverished. Mental health doesn’t care what class you are and it’s probably even harder given his profession. It’s ok for them to pop a bunch of opioids to mask the pain on Sundays and risk becoming addicted like millions of Americans but oh not thc for mental health? It’s utterly absurd and I don’t care how many of you clowns say “he’s making millions he could wash dishes”. If you don’t like what they make that’s fine I’ll respect your opinion but just don’t tell me they shouldn’t have access to the same medical treatment as millions of Americans.
Or it generated votes…
@66, Who are you quoting? Or are you just creating your own narrative?
R-Truth?
Doesn’t matter what Colorado law is…Federal Supremacy vs State Sovereignty.
If the Federal gov’t wanted to shut down every cannabis store in the country they could regardless of what the state law is…it’s still a Federal crime. The NFL falls under Federal jurisdiction for a couple of reasons…the name alone…National Football League…not Colorado Football League and also that pesky Sherman Act that the NFL enjoys an exemption from so while it’s an interesting angle to take via lawsuit, it won’t take much to blow this one out of the court.
Personally I could care less about this guy…great talent that smoked it all away.
But unlike you, I couldn’t care less about this guy…