In 2013, guard John Moffitt abruptly retired from the NFL. In 2015, he’s coming back.
As noted by Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Moffitt has unretired.
“[H]e knew he had drug issues, took time to go to rehab, clean up his life, beat his demons and he has taken his life back,” Glazer said via Twitter.
Glazer has been training Moffitt for the past three months. Former NFL linemen Steve Hutchinson, Shaun O’Hara, and Jackie Slater also have been working with Moffitt, who currently weighs 307 pounds, as he embarks on a return to the game.
Traded from the Seahawks to the Broncos in 2013 after a potential deal to the Browns didn’t go through due ostensibly to a failed physical (Moffitt claimed at the time that the decision came after he refused to take a pay cut), Moffitt retired in November. He claimed he simply wasn’t happy, but drugs apparently were a factor.
In March 2014, Moffit was charged with assault and possession of marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. Prior to that, Moffitt pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after being twice accused of urinating in public and once accused of criminal trespass.
The Broncos, per Glazer, will release Moffitt in lieu of reinstating him to the active roster. Because he had fewer than four years of service when he retired, Moffitt will now pass through waivers. If unclaimed, he’ll become a free agent.
Glazer believes that Moffitt will become a starting guard again, once teams realize he has addressed his off-field issues and he is committed to playing.