Thursday 5 January 2017 23:50, UK
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has been suspended for a minimum of one year without pay by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy for the third time in two seasons.
Gregory will sit out the entire playoff run for the Cowboys, after missing the team's first 14 games of the season due to prior substance abuse policy violations.
He played in the team's final two games of the campaign and made eight tackles, including his first career sack last weekend in a loss to Philadelphia.
Gregory, who cannot apply for reinstatement until November 6, served a four-game ban to begin the 2016 campaign for a violation that took place last season and served an extra 10-game ban for a second violation, reportedly missing a drug test in the off-season.
The Cowboys, who drafted Gregory with the 60th overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, had waived defensive end Zach Moore to keep Gregory on the playoff roster.
Dallas has a first-round playoff bye and this weekend's NFC playoff openers will determine who they will host the following weekend in the second round.
