Brandon Browner ban part of deal

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ESPN.com news services
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March 5, 2014, 10:05 AM ET
3 min read

— -- As part of his settlement with the NFL for reinstatement, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner is expected to be suspended for some length of time to open the 2014 season, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Browner tweeted Tuesday night that he has been reinstated by the league after serving more than 2½ months of a one-year suspension for violating its substance-abuse policy over 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 ,

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

Browner, a Pro Bowl selection in 2011, is an unrestricted free agent, so the news of his reinstatement 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, March 11.

Seahawks officials would not comment on Browner's reinstatement because, officially, he is not a member of the team.

But it appears the NFL agreed to end Browner's suspension over threats from his attorney last week that Browner would sue the league in federal court over the length of the suspension.

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.

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.