Gregory sues NFL, Broncos over fines for THC use

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Randy Gregory is suing the NFL and the Broncos claiming discrimination over being fined $532,500 for taking medication containing THC for disabilities during his brief time in Denver.

In the complaint filed this week in Arapahoe County District Court, the 31-year-old pass rusher who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers said he was prescribed Dronabinol for social anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders but was denied accommodations to treat those disabilities with that medicine.

The NFL and the Broncos both declined to comment on Gregory’s lawsuit when reached by The Associated Press on Friday.

The NFL no longer suspends players who test positive for THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects, but it remains among the league’s banned substances subject to fines.

The Broncos are named in the lawsuit although teams don’t have any role in the fining of players who violate the league’s drug policies. The NFL-NFLPA substances of abuse policy is collectively bargained and administered by a jointly appointed third-party medical professional.

The complaint said Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021 and with post-traumatic stress disorder in February 2023.

The Broncos and the NFL denied Gregory’s request in March 2023 to use Dronabinol during non-work hours, according to the complaint. Two months later, his agent, Peter Schaffer, requested a therapeutic use exemption for Gregory, which also was denied.

Gregory has been fined $532,500 for repeated positive THC tests since March 2023, according to the complaint. The lawsuit contends the league’s and club’s resistance to providing Gregory accommodations due to his disabilities is discriminatory under Colorado law.

Gregory was a second-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2015. He played five seasons with Dallas, where he was suspended numerous times for violating the NFL’s drug policies. He signed with Denver in 2022 but missed most of that season with a knee injury. He split the 2023 season between the Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, who acquired him in a trade last October.

Gregory, who has collected 22 career sacks and appeared in 72 games over seven NFL seasons, signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers this spring.