Former Steelers WR Martavis Bryant to apply for NFL reinstatement, per ESPN

He’s still relatively young, and he remains a big-play threat. But will Martavis Bryant get the opportunity to continue his NFL career?

The talented but mercurial former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver plans to apply for reinstatement into the NFL, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Bryant is under an indefinite suspension for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous ban.

While with the Steelers, Bryant was twice suspended – including for the entire 2016 season – for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Suspended former Steelers/Raiders WR Martavis Bryant told me he’s planning to apply for reinstatement in the coming weeks. Bryant has been arguing with the league that its drug program is not set up to offer players access to proper treatment for mental health issues.

— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) May 6, 2019

A fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2014, Bryant had nine touchdowns (including playoffs) in 11 games. He had 17 touchdowns in his first 24 NFL games counting the postseason before his season-long banishment.

The Steelers traded him to the Oakland Raiders during the 2018 draft, getting back a third-round pick. Bryant was released and later re-signed by the Raiders during the season.

The NFL announced his indefinite suspension in December.

According to Graziano, the basis of Bryant’s case appears to be that the NFL’s “drug program is not set up to offer players access to proper treatment for mental health issues.”

Bryant had only 19 catches last season, but he averaged 14.0 yards per reception.

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