Martavis Bryant Facing Year-Long Suspension for Substance Abuse

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant is facing a season-long suspension after failing his second drug test in as many years.

He will be appealing the suspension according to his agent Tom Santanello.

The news was first broke by Dejan Kovacevic of DK Pittsburgh Sports and later confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Bryant was suspended for the first four games of last season after failing a drug test. He spent his suspension in rehab and was praised for his decision.

I wrote last summer about how his decision to attend rehab during his suspension should be a strong precedent all athletes in similar situations should follow.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of Clemson, Martavis Bryant scored eight touchdowns in 10 games during his rookie season. Despite missing the first five games of his sophomore season with the suspension and injury, Bryant still caught six touchdowns and had over 700 receiving yards.

The Steelers certainly won’t be struggling at the receiver position if Bryant is in fact out for the season. Antonio Brown is widely considered the best receiver in the NFL and he proved that last year when Bryant was out.

Markus Wheaton, Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey are also on the Steelers roster. Heyward-Bey was recently re-signed to a three year contract, perhaps because the team knew of a possible suspension looming for Bryant.

The team will also have running back Le’Veon Bell returning from a torn ACL he suffered last season.

The NFL CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) signed in 2011 bans the use of multiple illegal substances that either provide a competitive advantage (PEDs) or are an item of abuse (illegal drugs).