Randy Gregory files lawsuit against NFL, Broncos

A matter involving prescription medication has prompted former Broncos edge rusher Randy Gregory to sue the team and the NFL, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel reports.

The current Buccaneers defensive end's lawsuit indicates he has been fined more than $500K over the past year and changed for taking medications that include THC. Gregory’s suit alleges discrimination. The veteran edge defender claims he was denied a therapeutic use exemption for this medication and subsequently fined $533K by the league. The Broncos were not involved with levying the fines, per Gabriel.

Although the 2020 CBA brought relaxed policies regarding recreational drugs, THC remains a banned substance. Players are no longer suspended under the positive THC tests, but fines remain in play. Gregory’s suit said he has been prescribed Dronabinol for a social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders. Gregory, who often ran afoul of the league’s stricter drug policy during the 2010s, has been open about his anxiety disorder.

Gregory, 31, initially sought permission from the Broncos and NFL to use Dronabinol in March 2023 but was denied, Gabriel adds. Another therapeutic use exemption request ended up denied, per the suit, in May 2023. It is not known how many fines Gregory incurred; players are to be fined a half-week’s salary for positive THC tests, with the penalty increasing to three weeks’ pay later in this process. Gregory was attached to a five-year, $70M deal with the Broncos from 2022 until the team traded him to the 49ers in October 2023.

The suit alleges the NFL and Broncos’ unwillingness to provide the former second-round pick “reasonable accommodation” is discriminatory under Colorado low, and he is seeking damages. Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021, with Gabriel noting the post-traumatic stress diagnosis emerged in February 2023. Gregory signed with the Broncos in March 2022. The former Cowboys draftee initially filed discrimination charges against the Broncos and the NFL in July 2023.

The Nebraska product incurred four substance-abuse suspensions from 2016-19. He missed all of the 2017 and ’19 seasons due to bans, playing only two games in 2016 as well. Gregory resurfacing with a productive stretch from 2020-21 fetched him a $14M-per-year contract, but he did not live up to the deal in Denver. The Broncos traded Gregory to the 49ers, only securing a Day 3 pick-swap agreement despite paying most of the outside linebacker’s salary to facilitate a deal. Gregory signed a one-year, $3M contract with Tampa Bay in April.