Deviant Behavior Not Unexpected for Bryant

In my March 29th and 31st American Sport in the 21st century class we talked about deviance in sport.  We defined deviance as an act/ person that differs from the norm, especially behavior or attitudes that differ from acceptable social standards.  Before even discussing this topic in class I was fairly familiar with deviance in sport because as a fan I am used to hearing about athletes getting into trouble on and off the field.  The class discussion made me think of a situation that unfolded a month ago that directly effects on of my favorite sports teams the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The situation that I am referring to is the year long suspension of Steelers' wide receiver, Martavis Bryant, for violating the the NFL's substance abuse policy.  Here is the article that I read to make some connections to the aspects of deviance in sport, that we discussed in my class:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2016/03/14/NFL-announces-Martavis-Bryant-will-serve-1-year-suspension-immediately/stories/201603140138

The first connection that I made made to the class discussion, which was obvious, was the use of illegal drugs in, in this case marijuana, by a high profile athlete.  The second connection that I made to the class discussion was, what is deviant outside of sports may be acceptable inside of sports.  Bryant's suspension actually shows the opposite end of the spectrum, because over the last few years the use of marijuana has been decriminalized and some of the negative public perception of marijuana has started to go in the opposite direction, but it is still not allowed to be used by players in the NFL.  The final connection that I made to the class discussion was, that leagues are enforcing stricter rules and handing out bigger suspensions for drug policy violations.  In Martavis Bryant's case he was suspended for the first 4 games of this past season for violating the substance abuse policy and as a repeat offender he was handed a year long suspension without pay.  Since this suspension was handed out Bryant has checked into a rehab facility and is said to  be suffering from depression, which shows the negative effects of engaging in deviant acts.  Colin Cowherd did a great job of pointing out just how hard it is to find a high profile athlete that has not displayed some form of deviance during their careers, video below:

These examples are not to say that all athletes are deviant.  In fact, the general society is a far more deviant environment than sport, but this information does further display how sport mirrors society.