Browner to sit out first four games of 2014
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Pending free agent cornerback Brandon Browner had his suspension reduced to four games by the NFL for the upcoming 2014 season, the league and the Players Association revealed Wednesday in a joint statement.
Browner, who was facing a potential year-long ban as a second-time violator of the NFL's substance-abuse policy, had previously announced his reinstatement with a message on his Twitter account Tuesday.
The 29-year-old had been forced to sit out the Seattle Seahawks' final five games of 2013, including the club's victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, after losing an appeal following a failed drug test.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to conditionally reinstate Brandon Browner from his indefinite suspension under the Policy and Program on Substances of Abuse," the statement read. "He will be eligible to sign with a club and participate in offseason and preseason activities. Should he comply with the terms of the Substance Abuse Policy and Program, 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."
Browner also missed Seattle's final four regular-season games of the 2012 season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
The 2011 Pro Bowl selection started eight times during the Seahawks' championship campaign, registering 19 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defensed.