Despite Martavis Bryant’s ongoing problems, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert never considered cutting him.
Martavis Bryant has been suspended twice in eight months – the first was for four games, and the second was for the entire season, both for substance abuse-related incidents.
Even though he’s immensely talented, he’s also very troubled, and his suspension only serves to hurt the team heading into next season. But despite his problems, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has kept his faith in him.
According to the Pittsburgh Tribune, when asked about it, he stated he never once considered cutting him:
"He has to do what he has to do from a league standpoint. He has to do what he has to do from a personal standpoint. We have to prepare for what we have to do without him in 2016. After all that is taken care of, we will revisit it but as of right now, as (Steelers president) Art (Rooney II) said, we support him, but in all honesty, what happens is totally up to him."
Despite missing four games last season, Bryant put up some outstanding numbers with 765 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns. That included some long runs and an outstanding catch in the playoffs. Even though he has to forfeit his salary for this season, Bryant is eligible for reinstatement the following season before his contract is up in 2018.
It’s interesting to see that he’s getting this much leeway despite his off-field issues. Josh Gordon faces a lot of the same issues as Bryant, yet as talented as he is, he hasn’t been given the same preferential treatment by the Browns organization. Perhaps they just feel he will learn from his mistakes and come back better than ever. But if he gets handed a third suspension, it better be the final straw.
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