Suspended Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is expected to rejoin the team for OTA’s starting on Monday.
The Buccaneers are expected to welcome back their suspended running back Doug Martin for offseason team activities that begin on Monday. Martin is suspended for the first three games of the 2017 season for violating the NFL’s PED policy. Martin received the suspension this past December for his admission to a drug dependency and was only able to serve one game of the four-game suspension.
The admission voided the guaranteed money Martin received in his new five-year, $35 million contract he received last March. Martin entered a drug rehabilitation program and has since completed the course. According to Roy Cummings of Floridafootballinsiders.com, Martin has met with the Buccaneers brass and is expected he’ll be back with the team for the start of offseason workouts.
Martin was the Buccaneers first-round pick in 2012 and is one season removed from a Pro Bowl berth in 2015 that saw Martin rush for 1,402 yards and seven total touchdowns. Martin tore up his hamstring in week two of the 2016 season and he never regained his Pro Bowl form. He was only able to suit up for eight games this past season and finished with 421 yards and three total touchdowns.
The addition of a healthy Martin would be a huge boost for the Buccaneers in 2017. Martin posted this inspiring tweet to show he’s possibly turned over a new leaf and is ready for the season ahead.
We’ll see if Martin can recapture his first-round form this upcoming season after the first three weeks of the season.
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The encouraging news is that he has seemed to put his drug issue behind him and is ready to focus on football, which is good news for Buccaneers fans.