Cowboys coach Leon Lett using his past to mentor Randy Gregory

8:36 AM ET

IRVING, Texas — The NFL once banned Leon Lett for a year from the game he loved.

It’s one of the best things that ever happened to the Dallas Cowboys defensive tackles coach.

The suspension, which caused him to miss 16 games, including the first 13 of the 1997 season, proved to Lett that he had the mental toughness to survive the worst of mistakes while showing him that he didn’t have to keep being his own worst enemy.

It forced him confront his insecurities and learn to embrace success. There was no need, he discovered, to fear success and sabotage himself, because he was worthy of the attention and adulation his prowess on the football field fueled.

That’s why Lett, who earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 1998, views second-year defensive end Randy Gregory differently than others in the organization.

Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory will miss the first four games of the 2016 season after violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. AP Photo/James D Smith

“I trust him,” Lett said. “I’ve been where he’s been. I know what it takes to overcome it.”

Lett talks to Gregory often about the mindset it takes to win on the field, and the preparation it takes off the field to position himself to succeed.

One season into his NFL career, Gregory has already put his future in jeopardy.

The 23-year-old defensive end been suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. To find himself in this predicament means Gregory has violated that policy at least three times since testing positive for marijuana at the NFL scouting combine last year.

It’s fair to ask whether the Cowboys should have passed on him in the second round because of the issue, but …

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