National Football League

Brandon Browner reinstated by NFL, will hit free agency

Published Mar. 4, 2014 7:28 p.m. ET

Sid Saraf

Brandon Browner caught a huge break.

The former Seahawks cornerback, who was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in December after testing positive for marijuana, was reinstated on Tuesday and will be free to sign with any team once free agency begins on on March 11.

Browner tweeted this out on Tuesday evening:

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

He had a longer statement which said:

"I received wonderful news today. The NFL has reinstated me, and I now have the opportunity to prove to the fans and my teammates how important this sport is to me. I realize now more than ever that being part of the NFL is not a right, but a privilege. I am grateful that Commissioner Goodell and my agent were able to resolve this issue in a positive, productive manner so I can continue my career, provide for my family, and help my team win a Super Bowl. Thank you to all who have gone out of their way to show their support. I will live up to your expectations of me."

This is quite a surprising development as Browner appeared stuck in NFL limbo as soon as a month back. However, his agent Peter Schaffer had told the USA Today last week that he intended to file a federal lawsuit against the league. Schaffer attacked the NFL's testing program and said Browner was railroaded and moved from stage one to stage three for failiing to cooperate with tests.

Schaffer also said that if Browner handn't been moved from stage three, he wouldn't have been required to take the drug test that led to a positive for marijuana.

The NFL has yet to comment on the situation, but may have felt iffy when faced with the possibility of a lawsuit. Whatever the reason, Browner is free to resume his career.

And he may indeed have some suitors calling for his services. Standing a 6-4, Browner is an unusually tall cornerback who plays with a physicality that many teams will undoubtedly want, despite him being 30 years old.