Cornerback Brandon Browner has officially been reinstated by the NFL, but he will be suspended for the first four games of the 2014 regular season and pay an additional four-game fine, the league and NFLPA jointly announced Wednesday.
Browner, who played the last three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks after playing four seasons in the Canadian Football League, is now free to sign with any NFL team when free agency starts next week.
The NFL and the players association announced the negotiated compromise, which staved off litigation that would have challenged the league’s decision to discipline Browner for missing drug tests while he wasn’t playing in the NFL.
The joint statement read:
“The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to conditionally reinstate Brandon Browner from his indefinite suspension under the Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse.
“Browner was suspended without pay for the Seattle Seahawks’ final five games of the 2013 season, including the playoffs. His contract with the Seahawks expires at the end of the 2013 League Year on March 11. He will be eligible to sign with a club and participate in offseason and preseason activities.
“Should he comply with the terms of the Substance Abuse Policy and Program, he will be fully reinstated after serving a four-game suspension without pay at the start of the 2014 regular season and forfeiting an additional four weeks of pay.”
On Tuesday, Browner wrote on Twitter that his suspension was lifted by the NFL, but he never mentioned the four-game suspension.
Browner tweeted, “I received wonderful news today. The NFL has reinstated me, and I now have the opportunity to prove to the fans and my teammates how important this sport is to me. I realize now more than ever that being part of the NFL is not a right, but a privilege. 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. Thank you to all who have gone out of their way to show their support. I will live up to your expectations of me.”
After Browner was suspended last year, he said he was unfairly placed in Stage 3 of the NFL’s testing program because of missed tests while he was playing in the CFL.
The planned lawsuit reportedly would have targeted the NFL’s policy banning marijuana, which is legal in Washington and Colorado.
Browner refused a deal with the NFL that could have reduced his suspension to one year in November.
A Pro Bowl cornerback in 2011, Browner drew a check and will receive a Super Bowl ring from the Seahawks, he said in February.