It didn't take long for Randy Gregory to find himself on the wrong side of Todd Bowles. Less than a few months after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, Gregory is already getting called out for an unexcused absence at minicamp.
Gregory failed to show up for mandatory minicamp, which isn't uncommon for players to do. It's typically reserved for guys who are holding out for new contracts, though, not ones that recently signed free agent deals.
Back in April, the Bucs signed Gregory to a one-year deal, adding him to a pretty impressive if not understated free agency haul. The Bucs re-signed Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Antoine Winfield Jr., and brought back Jordan Whitehead after two years in New York.
Gregory comes to Tampa Bay with a history of being able to produce, which is what the team is betting on, but not showing up to minicamp isn't exactly helping that happen.
Todd Bowles calls out Randy Gregory's unexcused absence at Buccaneers minicamp
Bowles spoke with the media on Tuesday and noted that Gregory wasn't there and didn't give a reason for not showing up. There wasn't much of an explanation, but it's not hard to connect some dots as to why the Bucs new edge rusher might be sitting things out.
"It's unexcused and we'll deal with it," Bowles said. "It's disappointing when anybody's not here, but it's minicamp and we'll deal with it, and go accordingly."
Yikes.
There's a pretty good reason for Gregory to be skipping camp, even if it's not an excuse. He's currently suing the NFL and the Denver Broncos under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act for fines he racked up due to the league's substance abuse policy.
Gregory is arguing that he needs THC to treat social-anxiety disorder and PTSD, requested accommodation, but was still fined over $500,000 for violating the policy. If he misses the entire minicamp session with the Bucs, he'll open himself up to over $100,000 more in fines, but that's only if he fails to show up at all.
It's not exactly the greatest look for Gregory when it comes to making first impressions, but it's not as though he's skipping out for no reason at all. We'll see what ends up happening as far as him reporting before minicamp breaks, but for now any progress he or the Bucs were hoping to make is stunted.
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