Former Denver Broncos outside linebacker Randy Gregory has filed a lawsuit against the NFL and the team for discrimination after being fined over $500,000 in the past year for taking medications for disabilities that include THC, according to The Denver Post. The complaint was filed in Arapahoe County District Court on Wednesday.
Gregory, per The Post, claims he was prescribed Dronabinol to help with his social anxiety disorder and PTSD. The NFL no longer suspends players for testing positive for THC, but it is a banned substance and a positive test is subject to a fine. The lawsuit says that Gregory requested an accommodation from the league, but it was not granted.
"This is a serious effort by Randy to push the NFL forward on alternative methods for pain management options," Gregory's agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Post. "If a doctor prescribes hydrocodone, that's completely legal and much worse for the player, yet the player doesn't get suspended or fined. Randy's not trying to buck the system, but he's paying $500,000 in fines for something that anybody else in the state of Colorado can do. All we want is reasonable accommodation to allow Randy to treat his disabilities at the direction of his treating physician."
Specifically, the complaint notes that Gregory has been fined $532,500 for multiple positive THC tests since March of 2023.
Earlier in his career, Gregory had been suspended multiple times for violating the league's drug policy, including for the entire 2017 and 2019 campaigns. He was first diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021 and post-traumatic stress disorder in February of 2023.
Gregory entered the league as a second-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. In 2022, he signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Broncos. Despite that long-term commitment, Gregory's tenure with Denver was shortlived, as he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers midway through last season. In April, he signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
