Oakland Raiders wide receiver Martavis Bryant was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Friday for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement from a previous ban, the league announced in a statement.
"Effective immediately, Martavis Bryant has been returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list indefinitely for violating the terms of his April 2017 conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse," the league announced.
Bryant's suspension wasn't a surprise. In September, Rapoport and NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Bryant was told by the league he was facing another ban -- his third in four seasons. The development came on the same day the Raiders released Bryant after a lackluster preseason. The Raiders, however, re-signed him to a one-year contract just 10 days later.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout was conditionally reinstated by the NFL in April 2017 after being suspended for the entire 2016 season for multiple violations of the league's substance abuse policy. Bryant played in 15 games for the Steelers in 2017, recording 603 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Oakland acquired him during the 2018 NFL Draft, sending a third-round pick to the Steelers for Bryant's services. But Bryant struggled to make a difference in the offense and he drew criticism from coach Jon Gruden in training camp. After the Raiders re-signed him, he was limited to 266 yards and 19 receptions over eight games before being placed on injured reserve because of a knee injury.
Selected 118th overall by the Steelers in the 2014 draft, Bryant's first suspension came in August 2015 when he was banned four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.Â
Bryant showed plenty of promise in his first two NFL seasons before his year-long suspension wiped out his 2016 campaign. Bryant showed more than a few flashes of being a fantastic No. 2 receiver, catching 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns (good for second-most yards and touchdown catches on the team) in just 11 games with the Steelers in 2015.
Upon his return to the team in 2017, rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster took over Bryant's No. 2 receiver role on the roster as he finished behind Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster and Le'Veon Bell in passing yards.
After his latest disciplinary setback, it remains to be see when -- or if -- Bryant will be able to embark on the next chapter of his NFL career.
