Brandon Browner’s suspension lifted by NFL after lawsuit threats
The NFL on Tuesday reinstated former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner from an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
The suspension for using marijuana ended Browner’s season in December and thrust the 29-year-old’s career into doubt. In a dispatch on Twitter, however, the open-ended punishment went up in smoke.
“I realize now more than ever that being part of the NFL is not a right but a privilege,” Browner wrote. “I am grateful that Commissioner [Roger] Goodell and my agent were able to resolve this issue in a positive, productive manner so I can continue my career, provide for my family, and help my team win a Super Bowl.”
Beneath the carefully chosen words are the repeated public pledges in recent weeks by Browner’s agent, Peter Schaffer, to sue the NFL over the suspension.
Browner, a founding member of the Seahawks defensive backfield nicknamed the Legion of Boom, has had previous violations of the substance-abuse policy that occurred when he was not on an NFL roster. Browner played in the Canadian Football League before signing with the Seahawks in 2011.
A suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, unrelated to the current situation, also cost him four games in 2012.
The Seahawks, of course, won the Super Bowl last month without Browner. He is now a free agent.
Twitter: @nathanfenno
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