It was around this time last year Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said Martavis Bryant stood at a “crossroads of his professional life.”
Soon, it appears Bryant will resume that life.
The Steelers wide receiver, who was suspended for all of 2016 after repeated violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, is headed for reinstatement. There were multiple Wednesday reports to that effect anyway, as the Beaver County Times cited a source who called his NFL return “imminent.”
The Houston Chronicle‘s Aaron Wilson later reported that, while Bryant has yet to be reinstated, the result is expected “eventually.”
So, it’s a matter of time.
This had been the expectation. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin addressed his status Tuesday when meeting with reporters at an NFL owner meeting in Phoenix.
“We’re hopeful,” Tomlin said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Martavis is a good guy. We wish him nothing but the best. But the train moves on and we’ve been on it for 12 months. Hopefully, he’ll get on.”
Despite a four-game suspension, Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns in 2015 .He averaged 21.1 yards on 26 receptions, including eight touchdowns, in 2014 as a rookie fourth-round pick from Clemson.
In January, while his application for reinstatement was being prepared, Bryant’s agent characterized him as “clean” and “a new person.”