Buccaneers release Randy Gregory after he failed to show up for training camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released edge rusher Randy Gregory after he failed to show up for training camp.

Coach Todd Bowles said Sunday that the team released Gregory after he was placed on the reserve/non-reporting list on July 23 for failing to show up for training camp. Bowles said he never found out why Gregory skipped training camp.

“No, I never found out,” he said. “I wish him the best. We'll move on from there. You can't miss what you never had.”

Gregory, 31, who has also played for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, signed a one-year, $3 million contract as a free agent, but he did not participate in the Bucs' voluntary offseason program or attend the team's mandatory minicamp this summer.

Gregory filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the Broncos in June, accusing them of discrimination and fined him $532,500 for taking disability medication containing THC during his brief time in Denver.

In the complaint, Gregory stated that he was prescribed dronabinol for social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, but was denied the opportunity to treat those disabilities with the medication.

The NFL no longer suspends players who test positive for THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the chemical responsible for most of the psychological effects of marijuana. However, THC remains one of the league's banned substances. Players who test positive face fines.

The Broncos are named in the lawsuit, even though the teams have no role in punishing players who violate the league's drug policies. The NFL and NFLPA's drug policies are collectively negotiated and administered by a jointly appointed outside medical professional.

Gregory has been fined $532,500 for repeated positive THC tests since March 2023, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that the league and club's refusal to provide Gregory with accommodations due to his disability was discriminatory under Colorado law.

Gregory was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2015 draft. He played five seasons with Dallas, where he was suspended multiple times for violating the NFL's drug policy. He signed with Denver in 2022, but missed most of the season due to a knee injury. He split the 2023 season between the Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers, who acquired him in a trade in October.

Gregory has played in 72 games in seven NFL seasons. In addition to 22 career sacks, he has 27 tackles for loss and 69 quarterback hits.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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