Attorneys for suspended Chicago Bears defensive end Richard Dent and the National Football League on Friday reached an agreement that will allow Dent to play in Sunday's game against Indianapolis.
Dent and Bears fullback Calvin Thomas were suspended for 30 days Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle for violations of the league's drug testing program. Dent, a sixth-year pro, refused to take a random drug test, while Thomas, a seventh-year pro, reportedly tested positive for drugs.Attorneys for Dent and the league, appearing before Cook County Circuit Judge Sophia H. Hall, said an agreement had been reached that would allow Dent to play on Sunday. Under the agreement, the NFL said it would lift its 30-day suspension against Dent and grant Dent a hearing on Wednesday before Rozelle.
The hearing, to be held in Rozelle's office in New York, will deal with Dent's status under the NFL's drug testing program now in effect. As part of the agreement, Dent dropped his lawsuit challenging his suspension.
Attorneys for Dent had planned to ask Hall for a temporary restraining order, allowing Dent to play on Sunday.