Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory played in the team's first regular season game on Sunday but there is a chance it could be the last game he plays for a while as the NFL decides if they will punish him for suffering a relapse last month, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Gregory was reinstated in July after a meeting with Roger Goodell and even though Gregory had a relapse that doesn't mean he will for sure miss games because of a suspension. Over the last year, the NFL has taken a stance of trying to get players help to deal with their issues instead of just handing out the suspensions.
According to league sources, there have been examples this offseason of a player having a disputed test, with the league emphasizing treatment and support rather than discipline, which was one of the NFL Players Association's goals when the policy was reconfigured in 2014.
Before playing in Sunday's game Gregory had missed 30 of the previous 32 regular season games after serving multiple suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
During Sunday's game, Gregory suffered a concussion during the second quarter and now will be in the league's concussion protocol which he will have to clear before he is allowed to play again.
The league is still trying to gather the facts on Gregory's case before issuing a ruling but it is expected that a ruling will come sooner or later. Chances are there will be some sort of punishment for the relapse, the question is will it involving missing games.
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