HEADLINE

Reports: Troubled DE Irving reinstated by NFL

Field Level Media

October 16, 2020 at 11:50 pm.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end David Irving was reinstated by the NFL, multiple outlets reported Friday.

Pro Football Talk reported Irving’s reinstatement from the suspended list was on the NFL’s daily transactions list.

Irving was suspended indefinitely in March 2019 for a second violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy and a third overall drug violation. His first career suspension was for violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy.

After the March 2019 suspension was announced, Irving said he was quitting football.

Irving missed the first four games of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons due to suspensions. The performance-enhancing-drug violation led to the 2017 suspension and the first substance-abuse violation was the reason for the 2018 discipline.

Irving also was investigated in a domestic-violence incident in 2018 before police in Frisco, Texas closed the case without filing charges. The claims were made by an ex-girlfriend, who later recanted her story.

The 27-year-old Iowa State product last played in the NFL in 2018, when he had four tackles and one sack in two games with the Cowboys.

Overall, he had 56 tackles, 12.5 sacks and five forced fumbles in 37 games (10 starts) with the Cowboys from 2015-18. His best showing came in 2017, when he had seven sacks in eight games.