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View Full Version : 'I know I'm on my last chance': Martavis Bryant opens up about his suspension



polamalubeast
01-13-2017, 10:40 AM
•As the Steelers move through the playoffs, the receiver that had been emerging as a star in the making prior to this year is barely paying attention. Instead, Martavis Bryant is focused on learning from the mistakes that landed him a one-year suspension for substance abuse and returning to the NFL as a new player and person.

While the Steelers prepare for the Chiefs’ ballhawking defense, one of their most explosive weapons is working out 2,500 miles away, a full year removed from the football field. Since being banned from the NFL for at least one season due to multiple violations of the league’s recreational drug policy, 25-year-old Martavis Bryant has sought to reinvent himself in the shadow of the city of lights. From a temporary townhome in Henderson, Nev., he has learned to live without marijuana, worked out like never before (which, you’ll find, isn’t exactly saying all that much) and looked forward to the day when he can begin proving that he is a changed man. He sat down with SI to clear the air about his past transgressions and lay a road map for the future.


read more


http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/13/martavis-bryant-suspension-steelers-marijuana-reinstatement

fansince'76
01-13-2017, 11:02 AM
Put the bong away until you retire, please...

Mojouw
01-13-2017, 11:16 AM
Interesting story. Sad to say it is an all too familiar one. Athlete has ludicrous physical gifts. Those gifts allow him to just skate through. Goes pro. Not so much. Career derails. It is up to Bryant to write the last chapter. He can be Josh Gordon or he can be Chris Carter.

Craic
01-13-2017, 11:33 AM
At least it sounds like his head has been straightened out.

Nadroj 20
01-13-2017, 11:35 AM
He has the correct mind set. It is now whether or not he can follow through with it. He could be great and have a very successful career in Pittsburgh or wherever else his career takes him.

st33lersguy
01-13-2017, 11:41 AM
That was a positive read, hope it translates

86WARD
01-13-2017, 11:54 AM
Gosh I hope he has his head on straight and it stays that way. He could be dominant!!

Steeldude
01-13-2017, 12:02 PM
We'll see. He's an addict so it will be hard to let go.

DesertSteel
01-13-2017, 01:00 PM
A "grown man" knows how to apologize to someone he's lied to and to teammates he's betrayed. Not much in that article gives me assurance that they don't need to draft a #2.

43Hitman
01-13-2017, 01:11 PM
I he looks in great shape. He'll be a beast on the other side of AB.

Mojouw
01-13-2017, 01:39 PM
https://youtu.be/uUPHlAbAf2I

43Hitman
01-13-2017, 01:48 PM
https://youtu.be/uUPHlAbAf2I:toofunny:

AtlantaDan
01-13-2017, 01:51 PM
We'll see. He's an addict so it will be hard to let go.


A "grown man" knows how to apologize to someone he's lied to and to teammates he's betrayed. Not much in that article gives me assurance that they don't need to draft a #2.

Agreed

Bryant's suspension was announced ten months ago in March 2016

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14971120/martavis-bryant-pittsburgh-steelers-banned-nfl-least-one-year

This nugget from the interview

When was the last time you smoked marijuana?
MB: About eight months ago.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/13/martavis-bryant-suspension-steelers-marijuana-reinstatement

Does not even claim to have been clean since the suspension

Craic
01-13-2017, 01:55 PM
We'll see. He's an addict so it will be hard to let go.

Yep, very true. On the other hand, he's taking many of the steps he needs to take to get and stay clean, especially selling his house and moving away from LA as well as cutting his circle of friends. All of those things are very positive. The not feeling the need to apologize is not positive. It shows a pride, and until that pride breaks, addiction still has a handle to grab onto. Here's hoping what he said was for public consumption and behind the scenes, he's handling himself differently. Something's telling me he is. Can't say what, and perhaps I'm simply wishing it so, but still . . .

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Agreed

Bryant's suspension was announced ten months ago in March 2016

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14971120/martavis-bryant-pittsburgh-steelers-banned-nfl-least-one-year

This nugget from the interview

When was the last time you smoked marijuana?
MB: About eight months ago.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/13/martavis-bryant-suspension-steelers-marijuana-reinstatement

Does not even claim to have been clean since the suspension

I'm okay with that. It's the here and now I'm worried about, and if he's truly been clean for the last eight months, then I won't hold it against him.

43Hitman
01-13-2017, 02:08 PM
Yep, very true. On the other hand, he's taking many of the steps he needs to take to get and stay clean, especially selling his house and moving away from LA as well as cutting his circle of friends. All of those things are very positive. The not feeling the need to apologize is not positive. It shows a pride, and until that pride breaks, addiction still has a handle to grab onto. Here's hoping what he said was for public consumption and behind the scenes, he's handling himself differently. Something's telling me he is. Can't say what, and perhaps I'm simply wishing it so, but still . . .

- - - Updated - - -



I'm okay with that. It's the here and now I'm worried about, and if he's truly been clean for the last eight months, then I won't hold it against him.Without faith there is no hope. I'm pulling for him.

teegre
01-13-2017, 02:09 PM
Agreed

Bryant's suspension was announced ten months ago in March 2016

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14971120/martavis-bryant-pittsburgh-steelers-banned-nfl-least-one-year

This nugget from the interview

When was the last time you smoked marijuana?
MB: About eight months ago.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2017/01/13/martavis-bryant-suspension-steelers-marijuana-reinstatement

Does not even claim to have been clean since the suspension



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU_EMA87Fv8

tube517
01-13-2017, 02:16 PM
I wonder who his closest friends are on the team.

A guy like DHB really needs to be in his corner. Someone no nonsense who will do whatever it takes and understands their role to make it on the roster and contribute and mentor Bryant but give him a reality check (similar to what Batch did to Ben years ago).

EzraTank
01-13-2017, 05:29 PM
This could have been his year. The big three are healthy ... imagine if he was in our lineup and you had to pick which one to stop ... BELL, BRYANT, BROWN?

polamalubeast
01-13-2017, 05:37 PM
Even if this year,the steelers won the super bowl,next year the team will be better with Bryant especially with the way Bell is playing right now.

Ben, Brown, Bell and Bryant have only played a half together(vs Bengals) last year and in 2014 they played 10 games together and when they were together the steelers scored 31 points per games and it was despite that Bryant was a rookie.

Our defense will also continue to be better, so only injuries or suspensions will be able to stop the steelers next year, but I have hope that the steelers can win the super bowl this year!

Psycho Ward 86
01-13-2017, 06:05 PM
If the Killer B's + Bryant stay healthy/not suspended, this team has the potential to field 7 1st/2nd team All-Pro's (Big Ben, Antonio Brown, Leveon Bell, Martavis Bryant, Maurkice Pouncey, David Decastro, Marcus Gilbert)

86WARD
01-13-2017, 07:07 PM
If the Killer B's + Bryant stay healthy/not suspended, this team has the potential to field 7 1st/2nd team All-Pro's (Big Ben, Antonio Brown, Leveon Bell, Martavis Bryant, Maurkice Pouncey, David Decastro, Marcus Gilbert)

Crazy to think...if this team doesn't win a Super Bowl in the next three seasons it's an epic failure imo.

Psycho Ward 86
01-13-2017, 07:32 PM
Crazy to think...if this team doesn't win a Super Bowl in the next three seasons it's an epic failure imo.

Agreed. and those are just the potential All-Pro's on offense

Craic
01-13-2017, 07:37 PM
Crazy to think...if this team doesn't win a Super Bowl in the next three seasons it's an epic failure imo.

If . . . our defense continues to gel and we don't have major injuries or a lot of missed time. But if they do, we are pretty much 1 player (OLB) away from having another powerhouse team after a 2 year rebuild cycle.

DesertSteel
01-13-2017, 07:41 PM
We'll see what happens if we make it to Foxboro, but dang, Brady has to have a drop off at some point in the next year or two. Hopefully Ben will still be on the back of his prime.

Shoes
01-13-2017, 07:43 PM
I think he's going to be fine and thats very good news for the Steelers.

Born2Steel
01-13-2017, 08:21 PM
We've known since the offseason.

GBMelBlount
01-13-2017, 08:56 PM
Interesting story. Sad to say it is an all too familiar one. Athlete has ludicrous physical gifts. Those gifts allow him to just skate through. Goes pro. Not so much. Career derails. It is up to Bryant to write the last chapter. He can be Josh Gordon or he can be Chris Carter.

Praying for this incredibly gifted young man...he is at a crossroad in his life.

Hopefully the best is still unwritten.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7k0a5hYnSI

Method28
01-13-2017, 09:29 PM
I read this interview and wasnt too happy with some of his answers. Him saying he will not address the team because "they're grown men and what happened, happened" has me a bit concerned. Tells me he doesnt understand the idea of a team/family surrounding that SHOULD be there.

Then again the man is just being himself and hes not here to answer questions from a PR standpoint. So we'll see what happens, but im not holding my breath on Bryant.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Bluecoat96
01-13-2017, 09:52 PM
If the Killer B's + Bryant stay healthy/not suspended, this team has the potential to field 7 1st/2nd team All-Pro's (Big Ben, Antonio Brown, Leveon Bell, Martavis Bryant, Maurkice Pouncey, David Decastro, Marcus Gilbert)
And if Ladarius Green's brain isn't scrambled for good, think about the possibilities next year for the O....good lord..

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue
01-13-2017, 11:59 PM
Steelers win the SB this year and I'm sorry but he don't deserve a ring and should be held from him. That said wish him the best and not just being a Steeler his talent is truly missed this year in the NFL.

pczach
01-14-2017, 06:30 AM
And if Ladarius Green's brain isn't scrambled for good, think about the possibilities next year for the O....good lord..

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk


On top of that the depth that they have established with The Outlaw and Grimble at TE and Coates, Rogers, Ayers, Hamilton at WR - It's crazy the amount of offensive talent they have assembled.

The team depth chart will look ridiculous!

JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue
01-14-2017, 06:44 AM
Green is toast and think he was before he got here. Again he is the true Money Pit!

- - - Updated - - -

Add his brain with Coates fingers and you will get this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRJE2n3qjrY

JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue
01-14-2017, 06:53 AM
Or This!https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=weird+pics&fr=sgm&type=imageswb&p=weird+pics#id=11&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Ffunhuh.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F06%2F01975_191-576x576.jpg&action=click

LloydWoodson
01-14-2017, 09:44 AM
We'll see. He's an addict so it will be hard to let go.

It's very rare that people get addicted to marijuana but not impossible. The vast majority of people do not get addicted.

Bryant probably is an addict since his last joint cost him over a million dollars in lost salary. The price of weed has really gone up.

GBMelBlount
01-14-2017, 11:33 AM
If . . . our defense continues to gel and we don't have major injuries or a lot of missed time. But if they do, we are pretty much 1 player (OLB) away from having another powerhouse team after a 2 year rebuild cycle.

Completely agree...except it FEELS like we have been rebuilding for longer than 2 years!

SteelerFanInStl
01-14-2017, 12:19 PM
I'm pulling for him but I don't have a lot of faith in him being able to stay clean. We definitely need to plan as if he's not on the team.

DesertSteel
01-14-2017, 12:24 PM
Completely agree...except it FEELS like we have been rebuilding for longer than 2 years!
Haha. As Steeler fans we don't even know what true rebuilding is, other than the end of the Noll era.

polamalubeast
01-14-2017, 12:29 PM
The good teams are never in rebuilding very long.

The bad teams like the Browns are always in rebuilding.

polamalubeast
01-14-2017, 12:35 PM
In fact, if our draft in 2008 and 2009 would have been a success, I do not think the Steelers would have had two bad seasons like in 2012 and 2013.

And the fact that 3 rookies on defense can contribute like this year, it helps a lot!

It would never have happened under Lebeau.

lipps83
01-14-2017, 01:06 PM
It would never have happened under Lebeau.

No matter how talented they were. Timmons and Polamalu are the greatest examples of talent sitting on the bench for the unnecessarily uber-difficult to understand overrated schemes. If a phd is needed to understand your football scheme you are probably more than likely outsmarting yourself.

Nonetheless, huge Bryant fan here. Hopefully he keeps his head on straight.

Now is the time to lock him into that lifetime deal, should be fairly cheap.

Craic
01-14-2017, 02:11 PM
No matter how talented they were. Timmons and Polamalu are the greatest examples of talent sitting on the bench for the unnecessarily uber-difficult to understand overrated schemes. If a phd is needed to understand your football scheme you are probably more than likely outsmarting yourself.

Nonetheless, huge Bryant fan here. Hopefully he keeps his head on straight.

Now is the time to lock him into that lifetime deal, should be fairly cheap.

Not really. Troy P. wasn't that good his first year and Timmons had to adjust to the game. People forget there's more than just learning assignments. Coming out of college, players are just completing adolescence, which usually ends around 24 years old. During that time, the body is not quite finished filling out and the brain is just completing its maturation process. Add to that the speed of college to the NFL both physically and decision making, the vast difference in the level of physicality, and the extended season from training camp to week 17 (and beyond if they make the playoffs), and you start to understand just how special it is when rookies can start the first game and actually make a difference. It's why I do not expect rookies to really be helpful to a team. If they are, it's a bonus.

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It's very rare that people get addicted to marijuana but not impossible. The vast majority of people do not get addicted.

Bryant probably is an addict since his last joint cost him over a million dollars in lost salary. The price of weed has really gone up.

No. Current stats are 1 in 5 who use consistently are addicted, based on NADA findings.

polamalubeast
01-14-2017, 02:17 PM
It's just that it was impossible under LeBeau for rookies to start

Now this is possible and we saw 3 rookies with plenty of playing time in the 2nd half of the season on defense.

Artie Burns was supposed to be a project but he has been a good starter in the second half of the season for the steelers.

fansince'76
01-14-2017, 02:45 PM
It's just that it was impossible under LeBeau for rookies to start

And there was a fundamental problem with that. Personally, I'm glad that has changed.

pczach
01-15-2017, 08:00 AM
And there was a fundamental problem with that. Personally, I'm glad that has changed.


The worst part was watching players sit for two or three years, then start to show promise, then come up for free agency when the team still didn't have a full read on the players they could become.

At that point, it's far too easy to pay too much to keep a player with limited experience and they would get burned on the value of the contract. Or, other teams are able to take advantage of the opportunity to get a young player that the Steelers have developed yet didn't get much production out of because they sat them out for such a long period of time.

Young, talented players getting on the field sooner is a very good thing in every way. It also allows the team to better know what they have and try to sign them to longer contracts before they become free agents, and they know what they have because of the playing time they have gotten.

It just works better for the team in every way when they are able to know what they have earlier in a player's career.

polamalubeast
01-18-2017, 08:17 AM
821706500586475526

fansince'76
01-18-2017, 08:21 AM
The worst part was watching players sit for two or three years, then start to show promise, then come up for free agency when the team still didn't have a full read on the players they could become.

Especially when said system that "takes at least 3 years to learn" was being exposed more and more, particularly after Polamalu began to show his age.

AtlantaDan
01-18-2017, 09:30 AM
Especially when said system that "takes at least 3 years to learn" was being exposed more and more, particularly after Polamalu began to show his age.

Mitchell said today system has changed at the direction of the head coach

821737174320156672

That may be one reason Davis and Burns have been able to step up

pczach
01-18-2017, 11:59 AM
Mitchell said today system has changed at the direction of the head coach

821737174320156672

That may be one reason Davis and Burns have been able to step up

Tomlin must have snuck that in there in between leading his favorite cheers and watching Cowherd and Whitlock for life coaching.

polamalubeast
01-18-2017, 01:56 PM
Especially when said system that "takes at least 3 years to learn" was being exposed more and more, particularly after Polamalu began to show his age.



The fact that it took more than 2 years for Cam Heyward to be in the starting lineup was inexcusable.

Shoes
01-18-2017, 02:36 PM
821706500586475526

Right, its up to goodell & crew to give the ok. Lets hope they don't play mind games with this kid.

43Hitman
01-20-2017, 06:24 PM
The fact that it took more than 2 years for Cam Heyward to be in the starting lineup was inexcusable.Exactly, and it makes one wonder if that was the straw the broke the proverbial back of LeBeau and his career here.

polamalubeast
01-25-2017, 04:19 PM
824379861489758208