The Steelers will be without Martavis Bryant for the entirety of the 2016 season after the 24-year-old wide receiver accepted his one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Bryant, one of the league's most dynamic players, also missed the first four games of the 2015 season for a previous substance abuse violation. On Monday, he issued a statement to the National Football Post on his latest run-in with the league.
“I sincerely apologize to the Rooney family, the great Pittsburgh Steelers organization, coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Kevin Colbert, my teammates and all of the outstanding Steelers fans and, of course, my mother and children for what happened,” Bryant said. “I regret that my actions led to this punishment from the NFL and that I won’t be able to play football this year. I’m committed to making this right and realizing my full potential, on and off the field. I will spend this year devoting myself to improvement mentally, physically and spiritually to become the best Martavis Bryant I can be.
“I look forward to resuming my NFL career next year, and I promise to come back strong. Playing in the NFL is a privilege that I respect and my future actions will reflect just how seriously I take this game and the honor that it is to be a part of this league. Please respect my privacy and my family’s privacy during this difficult time. I will have no further comment at this time.”
On Tuesday at the NFL owners' meetings, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asked if he was disappointed in Bryant.
"Does it matter? We will deal with it," he said, via ESPN.com.
Running back Le'Veon Bell said last week that the Steelers still have plenty of offensive firepower, a fact Tomlin alluded to on Tuesday.
"We are going to throw the ball to the open man. Really, it’s just that simple," the coach said. "We’ve played without him in the past. So we are not overly concerned about playing without him in 2016, to be honest with you. We have talent at the position. We’ve acquired talented men at the position. We are excited about the growth and development of Sammie Coates. I am more concerned about him, the man, as I am, him, the contributor to our offense on our football team."
The Steelers used a 2015 third-round pick on Coates because they knew Bryant would miss the first month of last season.
The team also signed Ladarius Green this month. The former Chargers tight end is an inch taller and almost as fast (on paper, anyway) as Bryant.
For Tomlin, nothing changes now that Bryant is in exile.
"More than anything, it’s about doing what is required to win games," he said. "I don’t think a lot about an offensive unit, or a defensive unit or a special teams unit. I think a lot about the Pittsburgh Steelers and what we need to do to get out of stadiums with wins. I don’t spend a lot of time looking exclusively at one entity of the team, from that standpoint."
