Brandon Browner still is appealing his year-long suspension. (USATSI)
Brandon Browner still is appealing his year-long suspension. (USATSI)

At the end of last month, Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner was suspended for a year for reportedly violating the league's substance abuse policy.

But as CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported, Browner was vigorously fighting the punishment, and according to La Canfora, he was "prepared to sue the league for its handling of how it notifies and handles a player's drug status once he is terminated."

While the two sides are negotiating a punishment, Foxsports.com reports that Browner turned down a three-month reduction of his suspension and continued his appeal.

As Mike Garafolo writes, "The sources said the NFL offered Browner the chance to accept his suspension now, sit out the rest of this season, remain suspended through the offseason and be eligible for reinstatement at the start of next October, when the 2014 regular season is still in its first few weeks. That would have allowed Browner to return to action well before December, which is how long he'll sit out if he loses his appeal in the coming weeks."

But Browner also has to consider that he's going to be a free agent after this season, meaning he most likely wouldn't collect on any kind of lucrative long-term deal if he can't play until the middle of next season.

Browner has two  reasons to believe why he shouldn't have been suspended for so long. 1) He shouldn't have been in stage 3 of the NFL's drug program because the league didn't tell him about the continuation of drug testing when he played in the CFL from 2007-10. 2) Browner says the person who collected his urine used a damaged cup before transferring the specimen to another cup. Browner reportedly has asked for the collector to testify at the appeal hearing, but the league apparently has denied it.

Browner won't play Sunday because of a groin injury, and Garafolo writes the arbiter's decision could come in a few weeks.

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