Report: NFL reinstates former Steelers WR Martavis Bryant

After a lengthy suspension from the NFL, former Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant has received reinstatement from Commissioner Roger Goodell. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the news Saturday.

“Veteran WR Martavis Bryant, who last played in the NFL in 2018, has been reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell and is drawing interest from teams, per his agent James Peterson,” he wrote. “Bryant, 31, has been training for a comeback and played in the XFL last summer.”

Veteran WR Martavis Bryant, who last played in the NFL in 2018, has been reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell and is drawing interest from teams, per his agent James Peterson.

Bryant, 31, has been training for a comeback and played in the XFL last summer. pic.twitter.com/2jDHNCiN6e

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 4, 2023

Bryant faced the lengthy suspension after violating the league’s drug policy before the 2018 season. He was reinstated, but was again suspended later that same year for violating the terms of the reinstatement.

Bryant played for the Steelers from 2014-17 and the Raiders in 2018.

In 2016, Bryant missed the season because of suspension. In his three seasons on the field with Pittsburgh, the receiver accounted for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns on 126 catches. Bryant totaled 19 receptions for 266 yards in his half-season with the Raiders.

Bryant has not stepped on an NFL field in years, making a return pretty difficult. But he did spend last season in the XFL with the Vegas Vipers. He also played in the CFL in 2021 with the Toronto Argonauts.

The Steelers selected Bryant out of Clemson in the 2014 NFL Draft in the fourth round.

YouTube TV says NFL Sunday Ticket issue fixed

In its first year of hosting NFL Sunday Ticket, YouTube TV has already encountered some errors. In Week 8, the streaming service encountered multiple outages, causing frustration among football fans.

YouTube’s global head of media and sports partnerships, Lori Conkling, suggested that those issues have been resolved. Moving forward, fans should be able to watch games without any problems.

“It’s completely mitigated,” Conkling said, per Sports Illustrated. “People can have confidence in this Sunday, but it is top of mind for us that we are responsible for delivering the exceptional experience that we have promised to our viewers. So we take that very seriously, and we have done everything possible to ensure it does not happen again.”

This year marks NFL Sunday Ticket‘s first on YouTube TV. Previously, the league had a deal with DirecTV as the soul provider of the package. It wasn’t uncommon for the company to experience issues in previous seasons, especially as streaming became more prominent.

NFL fans spend a good chunk of change on the service to watch as many games as possible. It’s understandable that they’d be frustrated when YouTube TV experiences technical difficulties. Hopefully, the issues have truly been fixed and fans won’t have to worry about this in Week 9 … or any other week.