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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said outside linebacker Randy Gregory had an unexcused absence on the first day of mandatory minicamp and that the team will “deal with it.”
“It’s disappointing when anyone’s not here but we’ll deal with it,” Bowles said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ll deal with it. Right now, I’m only gonna coach the guys that’s here.”
The Bucs signed Gregory this offseason to a one-year deal worth $3 million with incentives that bolster it to $5 million. Per the NFL collective bargaining agreement, a player missing mandatory minicamp with an unexcused absence gets a $16,953 fine for the first day and $33,908 for the second day and $50,855 for a third day.
Gregory filed a lawsuit last week against the NFL and Denver Broncos alleging discrimination. Gregory was fined $532,500 for positive THC tests. The suit states that Gregory was prescribed dronabinol, a synthetic form of THC, for social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Broncos and NFL denied Gregory’s request for a therapeutic use exemption for the medication.
It is unclear if Gregory’s absence is related to that litigation. Gregory’s agent, Peter Schaffer, could not be reached for comment.