Randy Gregory is suing the NFL and the Broncos, alleging discrimination after being fined $532,500 for using THC-containing medicine for disability during his short stay in Denver.
The current Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher, who is 31 years old, claimed in a complaint filed this week in Arapahoe County District Court that he was denied accommodations to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety with the medication Dronabinol.
When The Associated Press reached out to the NFL and the Broncos on Friday, they both chose not to comment on Gregory’s case.
The National Football League (NFL) no longer punishes or suspends players for testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ingredient in marijuana that causes most of its psychoactive effects.
The Broncos are mentioned in the complaint, even though clubs have no responsibility to impose fines on players who break the league’s drug regulations. A mutually chosen third-party medical professional handles the collectively negotiated NFL-NFLPA substance abuse policy. The lawsuit said that Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021 and post-traumatic stress disorder in February 2023.
According to the lawsuit, in March 2023, the Broncos and the NFL declined Gregory’s request to utilize Dronabinol during non-working hours. Two months later, Gregory’s agent, Peter Schaffer, sought a therapeutic use exemption for him, which was also refused.
Gregory has been penalized $532,500 for several positive THC tests since March 2023, according to the lawsuit. According to the complaint, the league and club’s refusal to provide Gregory with accommodations due to his impairments constitutes discrimination under Colorado law.
Gregory was a second-round draft selection for the Cowboys in 2015. He spent five seasons with Dallas, where he was penalized many times for violating the NFL’s drug policy. He signed with Denver in 2022, but a knee ailment sidelined him for most of the season.
He will play for both the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, after being acquired in a deal in October. Gregory, who has 22 career sacks and played 72 games in seven NFL seasons, signed a one-year contract with the Buccaneers this spring.
