Coach: Bucs to handle Gregory absence internally

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that the team would handle Randy Gregory‘s absence “internally” after the outside linebacker did not report with the veterans on Tuesday and was placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list.

“We’re gonna talk about the players that are here,” Bowles said. “He’s not here. We’ll deal with that internally. And obviously he’s on the do not report list and we’ll go from there.”

Bowles declined to say whether he’s had any communication with Gregory and declined to speculate on if or when Gregory might show up, if at all. Gregory already had unexcused absences for the three days of mandatory minicamp, resulting in a $101,356 fine. Failure to report to training camp also will result in a $50,000 fine per day, per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. Should Gregory miss a preseason game, that fine also will include one week’s Paragraph 5 Salary for each game missed.

In June, Gregory filed a lawsuit against both the NFL and Denver Broncos for discrimination, claiming that he was denied use of the drug dronabinol, which is a prescription drug containing synthetic cannabis that Gregory takes for social anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. The lawsuit claims that the league and team both violated Gregory’s right to disability accommodations.

Bowles declined to answer whether the Bucs had gotten any type of heads up that Gregory planned to file a lawsuit prior to his signing a one-year deal worth $3 million with an additional $2 million that could be earned through incentives, but those incentives are related to game participation and not offseason workouts.

The Bucs did not have Gregory slated to start, but rather serve in a rotational role — something he indicated that he was on board with when he signed with the club in April. The team did select outside linebacker Chris Braswell in the second round of the NFL draft later that month, and he’ll compete for the starting job with Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson. Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez are also two players that the Bucs are excited about continuing to develop.

When asked how he felt about the depth at the position without Gregory, Bowles said, “Well we never had him to begin with. He hasn’t been here so we’ve been OK with the depth we’ve got. We’ve got some guys that can play and we’re gonna get ’em ready to play.”

When Bowles was asked if there was any question about Gregory’s commitment when they signed him, he said, “I don’t have any more speculation on Gregory.”

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