Suspended over NFL's abuse policy, wide receiver Bryant plans for reinstatement

Suspended wide receiver Martavis Bryant is planning to apply for reinstatement in the near future, ESPN reported Monday night. Bryant, a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders, has been suspended three times in the past four years for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

On Monday, the unrestricted free agent indicated he has been seeking league approval to see a counsellor near his home in Las Vegas, one that has helped him in the past. According to ESPN, Bryant was instructed to fly to Chicago to visit NFL medical director Richard Spatafora for a status update and to get the league's approval for treatment from the Las Vegas-based counsellor. Bryant said the league has previously permitted him to seek treatment from only its network of counsellors.

Bryant's most recent suspension occurred on Dec. 14, when he was with the Raiders, for violating his reinstatement terms stemming from a previous ban under the league's policy. With three games remaining in the regular season, Bryant totalled 19 receptions for 266 yards in a career-low eight games. He has career totals of 145 catches for 2,183 yards and 17 touchdowns in 44 games (18 starts). Bryant was allowed to play in 2018 while appealing a one-year suspension. He went on injured reserve earlier in December with a knee injury suffered on Nov. 11 during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

He was involved in a months-long appeal fight, claiming that the NFL's drug program denied him access to proper treatment for his mental health, according to league sources at ESPN. In elementary school, Bryant was diagnosed with ADHD and has spent years in and out of treatment. Bryant, now 27, reportedly violated the NFL's substance abuse policy during the 2018 offseason.

The Clemson product was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season and the entire 2016 season because of positive drug tests while he was with the Steelers. The Raiders initially released Bryant on Sept. 1 but resigned him 11 days later when the NFL ruled he could play while appealing the penalty. Bryant hopes to sign with an NFL team before training camps open in July. 

(With inputs from agencies.)