Martavis Bryant flashed a lot of promise before substance issues put his career on hold. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver should get the chance to contribute again next season, as his reinstatement appears to be coming soon.
There was a point in time when Martavis Bryant seemed like a budding star in Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-4 wideout ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and his potential as a deep threat showed. He scored six touchdowns in his first four NFL games and gave the Steelers offense a new element. Bryant scored 14 touchdowns despite playing part time during his first two seasons, and complimented Antonio Brown well.
Substance abuse issues have threatened Bryant’s young career, however. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season for failing a drug test and then missed multiple tests afterwords. As a result, the NFL suspended Bryant for a minimum of one season last spring.
When he was suspended last year, one of Bryant’s agents, Brian Fettner, told USA Today “His isn’t a party issue. It’s a coping issue and a depression issue, and he’s got to take care of it.” At that point, it appeared that Bryant was going to have to confront his personal demons before he was able to return to the NFL.
News that Bryant’s reinstatement to the NFL was “imminent” was broken today by the Beaver County Times. The Times quoted an anonymous league source for the information. If Bryant is indeed reinstated now, then he will be serving the minimum length of his suspension. The Steelers would benefit from getting notice of his reinstatement a month ahead of the draft as well.
Hopefully, this pending reinstatement means that Martavis Bryant has turned a corner in his personal life. He will be given a chance to get his career back on track now and the Steelers should benefit.