Randy Gregory won’t go as “high” in the NFL draft … and it’s all his own fault
By Kelli Anne
Disclaimer: I’m going to be judging in this article. It’s strictly my opinion. Take it or leave it.
I get back from vacation and the first thing I read about is Randy Gregory testing positive for marijuana at the combine. Are you freaking kidding me? At a time when Kenny Bell and Ameer Abdullah are tweeting about their workouts and thanking their trainers, Randy was sweating out whether he would pass a drug test. And for a job that is ALL about your physicality….seriously?
Maybe that’s why he cut his hair and it was short at the combine. He does win points back for admitting it and “coming clean” so to speak.
Wall Street Journal declared @Ameerguapo "the best of the best" of the NFL Combine: http://t.co/XZK69jl1vQ #Huskers pic.twitter.com/tZl4MU124I
— World-Herald Huskers (@OWHhuskers) February 25, 2015
It's Saturday morning.... Gonna find out who actually wants it vs. those still counting sheep. You know what time it is! #Rise&Grind
— Kenny Bell (@AFRO_THUNDER80) February 7, 2015
My first questions were when did he do it last? Was there a chance the test was wrong? Here’s what I learned. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana which gives you the “high.” The answer to the question how long it stays in your system is “it depends.” It is dependent upon how much you consume, your metabolism, weight/body fat, and how prolonged your exposure is over time.
For a person who is considered a one time user, they may test positive for 1-6 days, a moderate user 7-13 days, a frequent user up to 15 days and a heavy user may show positive for 30 or more days. Some heavy users have reported being positive for 45-90 days afterward according to the National Drug court Institute. For frequent users, you can expect to test positive for around a week after the last use. This is to pass a urine test with 50 ng/mL threshold.
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive end Randy Gregory (4) stretches before the game against the USC Trojans in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Marijuana residue is stored in your fat cells and due to the sophistication of today’s tests, they rarely produce a false positive. The lab uses an immunoassay test (EMIT) and if it reports a positive, it is then scanned with a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. There are some products on the market which claim to help eliminate the traces of the marijuana. However most of them take an extended time to use and during that time the body is naturally eliminating the THC anyway.
Randy said he hasn’t smoked marijuana since December. In the end he will still end up drafted but maybe not as early and with not as much money. He will enter the NFL at the 1st stage of the league’s substance abuse policy. Good. Get him the help he needs (or is already getting). I guess I can’t imagine risking losing million$ of dollar$ just to get high for a little while. I’m glad he at least owned up to it.
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"“I want it on the record. I want people to understand I know I messed up. I’m owning up to it. I realize it. But at the same time, I’m taking the right steps to get better and to fix it.”"
I can tell you that I’ll choose to watch the football games on Sunday with Kenny or Ameer rather than Randy. I wish him well and hope he gets and stays clean. I mean he is still a Husker and that’s for life.