Randy Gregory served more than a year suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The defensive end has returned to the Cowboys hoping to see the league to take the reasons for his marijuana use into account, concerning themselves as much with players’ mental health.
Doctors reportedly diagnosed Gregory with bipolar disorder, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, with marijuana a way for Gregory to deal with his emotional and mental issues.
“If I went to someone in the league and said ‘Hey, I had this problem in my mind and one of the ways I cope with it, one of the things I do is abuse this drug or that drug,’ they will already forget the beginning part, the mental illness. They will just focus on abusing drugs,” Gregory said, via Hill. “It’s hard to say the NFLPA or the league itself is going to be there. At the end of the day, they tried to kick me out of the damn league. If I had a mental issue, they don’t give a damn. You are using drugs, get out the league.”
The NFL conducted meetings on mental health in Dallas this week, via Hill. That followed a joint symposium with the NFLPA in Atlanta in May.
Gregory wants to see more than meetings and scoffs at the league’s current mental health program.
“It’s trash. It’s punitive,” Gregory said. “That’s my experience. Maybe they have something different.”
Gregory admits he doesn’t have the answer but hopes the meetings are a start in changing things.
