Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has reportedly failed his seventh Drug Test since entering the NFL two years ago and his NFL career might be over with. Gregory was already serving a year-long suspension for his sixth failed drug test and this latest failed test will surely add more time to the punishment and might actually make the suspension indefinite, meaning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would need to okay his return to the league.
Randy Gregory troubled from the start
When the Dallas Cowboys chose Randy Gregory in the 2015 NFL Draft in the second round, they knew that they were getting damaged goods.
Gregory was a first round talent and was considered the best pass rusher in the draft. However, he suffered a free fall to the 60th pick because he failed a drug test when he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. Gregory uses marijuana for anxiety issues and actually suffers from bipolar disorder. However, the NFL has a no-nonsense policy on marijuana and won't even consider it for medical uses. The Dallas Cowboys brought in Charles Haley, someone else who suffered from bipolar disorder in his career, to mentor Gregory, hoping to help the young man turn his life around.
Randy Gregory and his multiple failed drug tests
Things never seemed to click. There were concerns from the start that Randy Gregory would be unable to handle the mental rigors of the NFL without the use of marijuana to help ease his anxiety and keep his bipolar disorder at bay.
Injuries at the start of his Dallas Cowboys career might have sent him into a freefall. Gregory suffered a high ankle sprain in the first game of his rookie season and wasn't able to record his first table until Week 10. Following the season, Gregory was suspended the first four games of 2016 for a failed drug test. Randy failed another drug test a few months later and his suspension was increased 10 more games.
In November 2016, Gregory failed another drug test and was facing a year-long suspension. He then missed a drug test and the suspension started in the 2016 playoffs for the Dallas Cowboys plus the 2017 season.
Dallas Cowboys moving on
Randy Gregory had five failed drug tests in less than one year plus the one at the NFL Combine.
This seventh failed test means that he won't be back anytime soon and the Dallas Cowboys might be ready to cut their losses. Dallas deafted Taco Charlton in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and will add him to a mix that includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Benson Mayowa, Charles Tapper, Tyrone Crawford, and David Irving.
