Brandon Browner out 4 more games

ByABC News
March 5, 2014, 5:05 PM

— -- Former Pro Bowl cornerback Brandon Browner will be suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season as part of his reinstatement after a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy, the NFL and NFL Players Association jointly announced Wednesday.

Browner, an unrestricted free agent who played in eight games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 before being suspended by the league, will be eligible to sign with any team and participate in offseason workouts and preseason activities, the league said in a statement.

If he complies with terms of the substance-abuse policy, the league's statement said, "he will be fully reinstated after serving a four-game suspension without pay at the start of the 2014 regular season and forfeiting an additional four weeks of pay."

That means Browner, in total, will miss 13 weeks of pay due to the suspension -- five games in 2013 and eight games in '14.

Browner had tweeted Tuesday night that he has been reinstated by the league after serving more than 2½ months of a one-year suspension for marijuana use.

I received wonderful news today. The NFL has reinstated me, and I now have the opportunity to (cont) http://t.co/AG0Zbpxpgo

- Brandon Browner (@bbrowner27) March 5, 2014

News of the reinstatement of Browner, a Pro Bowl selection in 2011, comes just days before teams can make offers to players. Teams can enter into negotiations with players and their agents on Saturday, and contracts can be signed as early as Tuesday.

The league informed Browner of his suspension in late November. He played in only eight games last season and was out with a groin injury when he learned of the suspension, which he appealed. He lost the appeal on Dec. 18.

Browner did not play in the second half of the season, missing out on the Seahawks' run to the Super Bowl.

The NFL listed Browner as a Stage 3 offender, which brought the one-year suspension, because he did not submit to urine tests while playing in the Canadian Football League from 2007 to 2010 after first failing a test for marijuana use while he was with the Denver Broncos in 2006.

ESPN.com Seahawks reporter Terry Blount contributed to this report.

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News of the reinstatement of Browner, a Pro Bowl selection in 2011, comes just days before teams can make offers to players. Teams can enter into negotiations with players and their agents on Saturday, and contracts can be signed as early as Tuesday.

The league informed Browner of his suspension in late November. He played in only eight games last season and was out with a groin injury when he learned of the suspension, which he appealed. He lost the appeal on Dec. 18.

Browner did not play in the second half of the season, missing out on the Seahawks' run to the Super Bowl.

The NFL listed Browner as a Stage 3 offender, which brought the one-year suspension, because he did not submit to urine tests while playing in the Canadian Football League from 2007 to 2010 after first failing a test for marijuana use while he was with the Denver Broncos in 2006.

ESPN.com Seahawks reporter Terry Blount contributed to this report.

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