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Report: Steelers' Bryant to enter rehab, will be evaluated for depression

Adam Hunger / USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant will enter rehab Sunday and undergo evaluation for depression, according to USA TODAY's Tom Pelissero.

The news comes after it was widely reported Saturday that Bryant is facing a one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

"We're all stunned, me included," Bryant's agent, Brian Fettner, said Saturday. "We clearly miscalculated the issue. His isn't a party issue. It's a coping issue and a depression issue, and he's got to take care of it."

Bryant's agent implied the suspension was due to missing a drug test.

"He didnt fail a test,” Fettner said to Jason Mackey of DKPittsburghSports.com "He missed tests. But a miss is a failure to comply."

Bryant was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season after failing tests for marijuana. During this period, he underwent counseling at a facility in Houston.

"This is the biggest cry for help I've ever seen. And that hurts. It hurts us to see," Fettner said. "He's 24 years old and he's got to get right, whatever it is.

"If you talk to anybody's family that has depression, they will be talking about these same things - the (despondence), the withdrawal, the head-in-the-sand despair. Just trying to cope."

Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games last season, and is one of the NFL's rising offensive stars. If his suspension stands, Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey will likely see larger roles in the offense.

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