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Oakland Raiders Cut Martavis Bryant With NFL Suspension Looming

Martavis Bryant just can’t stay out of trouble. The Oakland Raiders announced that Bryant has been cut from the team. The Raiders cut the wide out while he is appealing a suspension from the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy. The outcome of that appeal is not yet known. The Oakland Raiders acquired Bryant in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers during on the 2018 draft for a third-round pick. It was a high-risk/high-reward trade that now looks to be a bad decision by new head coach Jon Gruden.

Oakland Raiders Receiver Martavis Bryant Suspended

Bryant has struggled to stay on the field for his entire NFL career. He missed the entire 2016 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. This came after he missed four games in the 2015 season for the same offense. Now, Bryant’s entire NFL career could be in jeopardy.

Had Bryant stayed out of trouble, Oakland looked to have one of the most dynamic wide receiver trios in the NFL. Jordy Nelson signed from the Green Bay Packers in the offseason, and Amari Cooper is looking to bounce back from his worst season as a pro. Now, they’ll have to make do without him.

The Steelers knew they were taking a risk on the talented receiver when they took him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. At six-four and over 200 pounds, Bryant was an athletic freak at Clemson. His draft profile caught his big-play potential, but also chronicled character concerns and suspensions.

As a rookie, Bryant appeared in ten games, gaining 549 yards and scoring eight touchdowns on just 26 catches. He was to just 11 games due to suspension in 2015. Overall, he still caught six touchdowns on 50 catches, gaining 765 yards. He returned from his year-long suspension in 2017 to a limited role. Although he appeared in 15 games, he only managed three touchdowns and just over 600 yards.

He seemed to fall out of favor with the coaching staff and was deactivated and demoted to the scout team for a week. Before that, he publicly expressed his displeasure after the Steelers drafted Juju Smith-Schuster. There were reports that he wanted to get traded mid-season, but it never happened. Smith-Schuster passed Bryant on the depth chart, making him expendable.

Ryan Hawks, Managing Editor

Ryan is a lifelong Raider fan living in San Diego. His NFL fanaticism began when he somehow got a hold of an LA Raiders sweater. He started wearing when the sleeves were way too long and kept wearing until they barely passed his elbows. He is also a Final Fantasy Fanatic and basically dedicates all of his free time to playing Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. In addition to sports writing, he also loves reading and writing fiction. His favorite author is Anne Rice. Ryan is also very involved in education and works as a Tutor at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista as his day job. He is currently attending JFKU for his MA in Sport Psychology Find him on Twitter @RyanWorldEater.