Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said he won’t miss veteran pass rusher Randy Gregory after his release for missing training camp.
Bowles explained that he “never found out” why Gregory, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Bucs in April, missed 24 days of training camp and a preseason game amid his recent lawsuit against the NFL.
“No, I never found out,” Bowles said Sunday during a press conference when asked about Gregory’s extended absence. “I wish him the best.
“We’ll move on from there. You can’t miss what you never had.”
Bowles did not explain further about the Gregory situation.
The Bucs agreed to release the veteran pass rusher on Aug. 15, according to ESPN.
The 31-year-old Gregory never played a game for Tampa Bay as he signed with the Buccaneers in the offseason.
He was then placed on the reserve/did not report list on July 23.
It came after Gregory sued the NFL and the Denver Broncos in June over being fined $532,500 for THC use, which was in a medication he took at the time.
In the lawsuit, Gregory — who played a career-high 16 games in 2023 for the Broncos and San Francisco 49ers — alleged the league and the Broncos denied him the use of the drug dronabinol, which is prescribed to him by a doctor, according to ESPN.
Gregory is prescribed it to treat social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress.
The lawsuit states Gregory was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in 2021 — when he had a career year with the Cowboys — and with post-traumatic stress disorder in February 2023.
Although the NFL no longer suspends players for THC use, it is a banned substance that subjects players to fines.
Gregory was fined a total of $1,377,549 for his extended absence with the Bucs, ESPN reported — adding the team can receive a percentage of his bonus depending on the number of days he failed to show up to work.
The defensive end missed three mandatory minicamp practices, 24 days of training camp and a preseason game on Aug. 10, when the Bucs beat the Bengals, 17-14.
The Buccaneers open their 2024 season against the Commanders on Sept. 8.