Nebraska football star Randy Gregory announced on Wednesday that he tested positive for pot at the NFL scouting combine in February.
The defensive end is a potential top-10 draft pick, but the positive test could change all of that.
According to ESPN, Gregory claimed that he did not smoke at the combine and explained that high levels of THC were lingering in his system from the last time he smoked in December.
“I blame myself,” Gregory told NFL.com. “And I know it sounds cliché, but there’s really no one else I can blame.”
With just weeks to go before the 2015 NFL Draft, this new hurdle could seriously impact his football career, but, to be fair, Gregory has always been quite open about his history with marijuana.
“Obviously this is new news—that I failed the test at the combine—but the fact that I’ve smoked in the past isn’t a mystery,” he said. “I’ve had conversations with [NFL] coaches. I believe we all have an understanding of why I did it. But I feel like I’m improving. I know I am.”
According to Gregory, he’s now focusing on himself as a person and a player. He knows that this could be a setback but believes he’ll come out on top.
“I want people to understand I’m not some dumb jock pothead. I’m not,” he explained. “I’m intelligent. I love the people who help me, I love my family, I love my support group. I love football. I love winning. And I don’t want to be labeled as some bust that couldn’t make it because he smoked. And I won’t be labeled as that.
“I want people to really understand that I know I made a mistake, for one,” Gregory continued. “That I knew what I had coming up [the combine], and I still made that mistake. That was dumb.”
Gregory will start his career in Stage 1 of the NFL’s substance-abuse program.
