Cowboys Randy Gregory Working 'To Turn Life Around'
FRISCO (105.3 THE FAN) - A source close to suspended Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory says he's "successfully working at turning his life around,'' but that work does not come with any guarantees of an NFL future.
As we've reported at 105.3 The Fan, Gregory -- currently serving a suspension of at least one year for a series of NFL substance abuse policy violations -- is eligible to apply for league reinstatement on Nov. 6. I'm told that it's not a guarantee that he will take that action just yet, though a return to football is certainly a goal.
Bigger than football, though is Gregory learning coping skills as a citizen. He's doing that, I'm told, with a non-football job that occupies his time and gives him structure in addition to his workouts.
The NFL is not clear on when Gregory might play again if he's ever reinstated. This postseason is a possibility, though despite his talents -- Gregory was considered a blue-chip prospect in the 2015 draft but fell to become Dallas' second-round pick due to the drug and behavioral issues -- it's difficult to envision him becoming an elite pass-rusher after having spent a year away from football.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed the issue Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan's Shan and RJ show.
"I wouldn't get into what we're going to do there and what he's going to do there," Jones said. "But I do know that as we move forward with the league relative to how we handle a situation like Randy Gregory, his opportunity to play will get better and better. He's, I think, the classic case of potentially what we ought to consider when we're looking at some of our substance issues. ... I'm just going to hold it at that. I don't want to speculate on whether he'll be on the field for us here at that time or not."
Jones is an advocate of NFL reform regarding marijuana use, and while he's right about Gregory serving as a possible "test case,'' again ... Randy Gregory's priority right now shouldn't be about being a football player; it should be about being a citizen.