Oakland Raiders: Misunderstanding of Martavis Bryant’s unclear NFL standing

Where did some people go wrong on their perception of Oakland Raiders wideout Martavis Bryant after a report about a potential suspension?

Take a minute to input Oakland Raiders pass-catcher Martavis Bryant’s name in the Twitter search engine. You’ll find an array of tweets from the past week. There’s a scarcity in commentary about the wide receiver’s strong camp so far and a lot of finger-pointing.

Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Michael Gehlken revealed uneasiness within the organization pertaining to Bryant’s standing with the league on the substance abuse policy.

Here are the opening paragraphs to his sourced write-up:

"The Raiders fear potential NFL discipline might be imminent for wide receiver Martavis Bryant, sources said Thursday, inciting internal uneasiness at the conclusion of an otherwise encouraging spring workout program.Multiple team officials declined comment as they left for a weekslong break before training camp, but they acknowledged the club is awaiting final word on the situation. It is believed to pertain to the NFL’s substance-abuse policy."

Due to Bryant’s recent missteps under the substance abuse policy, which warranted multiple suspensions and a lost 2016 campaign, Twitter erupted with the notion the 26-year-old would serve a suspension.

It’s entirely the incorrect take when reading Gehlken’s report carefully. The operative words “might be imminent” and “awaiting the final word on the situation” should’ve caused people to pump the brakes before jumping to conclusions.

Nonetheless, once word spreads through social media like wildfire, it’s hard to untangle projection from the truth, except, in this case, Gehlken used the correct wording to show it’s possible the league wouldn’t suspend Bryant. Again, “might be imminent” doesn’t assume a penalty will come down.

It’s been eight days since the report came out. Still, the league hasn’t contacted Bryant about a punishment, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. He confirmed the 6-4, 211-pound pass-catcher didn’t fail or miss a drug test via Twitter:

In other words, allow the offseason to play out. In the social media sphere, where hot takes and clever memes earn likes and retweets. Bryant’s reputation took a premature ride through the mud as he starts anew in Oakland.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans and some within the Raiders fanbase impulsively turned to say, “I told you so” in terms of Bryant keeping his name out of headlines.

Others have directed their ire toward Gehlken for the report. Though, it doesn’t confirm a suspension—only the Raiders “fear” of one. Once again, there’s nothing definitive in the sourced column. Critics have tossed around the phrase “fake news” (incorrectly), but it’s a matter of comprehension.

Have you ever been wary something may happen but it didn’t? Anyone ever thought they failed a test in school but passed? Have you ever done a Google search while sick and went to the doctor with apprehension?

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Gehlken, as a reporter, deemed the Raiders uneasiness as newsworthy, not an actual suspension.

Those who immediately took to social media to paint the Raiders receiver in a poor light deserved pushback. Instead, many fanned the flames.

Of course, everyone has to get their tweets off for laughs, right? That’s the world we live in. However, it shouldn’t come at the expense of Bryant’s reputation.