Written by David Moore at Sports Day.Dallas New
Randy Gregory’s struggles with addiction have landed him in a drug treatment facility and will extend a four-game suspension that is already in place, multiple sources said.
The defensive end has failed a fifth test — his fourth while a member of the Cowboys — and will not report to training camp in Southern California with his teammates Thursday. He’s now at an undisclosed facility, sources confirmed, and it’s unclear if he’ll participate in any part of training camp.
Gregory’s return to the field is equally uncertain.
The player was hit with a four-game suspension earlier this year that still allowed him to take part in training camp and preseason games. One source said Gregory checked himself into a treatment facility earlier this month in the hopes of completing the program before camp starts later this week. But that same source said that Gregory left the facility for a weekend and missed a scheduled test.
In this stage of the NFL’s substance-abuse program, a missed test carries the same weight as a failed test. That would increase the suspension to 10 games.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (four games) and linebacker Rolando McClain (10 games) also are suspended to open the season. If Gregory’s punishment is increased, it would mean the defensive side of the ball could lose up to a minimum of 24 games from those three key contributors.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, attending a coach’s clinic in Arlington on Tuesday afternoon, declined to answer any questions about Gregory’s status.
“I don’t want to comment on that,” Garrett said. “I’m not commenting on Randy Gregory.”
Gregory tested positive for marijuana in February 2015 at the NFL scouting combine and entered the league in the first stage of its substance-abuse program. He tested positive for marijuana twice at Nebraska, in January and April 2014, and was told he would be kicked off the team if he failed a third time.
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