Yeah, it gets deeper, and stranger. There's some language in there that if you are in stage two, and have no bad tests for two years, you go back to the beginning, stage one. It gets really strange if the NFL expected him to take these tests, but didn't notify him properly, or maybe more accurately, they couldn't provide testers for him in Canada and expected him to travel somewhere. He could probably argue that given he was out of the league for so long, he should have been treated as someone who had a first violation, or similar. He was clean for nearly two years for us, as far as street drugs are concerned, and was clean at the end of the Broncos as well. I suspect he could argue that while he was an NFL player, subject to the CBA, that he was clean for two plus years, and they can't hold him to a contract when he isn't getting paid (employment law) and isn't in the country either.
I could totally see this getting argued for a bit, and if he doesn't go on IR, he could possibly be back for the playoffs, especially if we get a bye.
If I was his lawyer, I'd be arguing that if they didn't let him off on this, that they'd sue the NFL for loss of earnings, what a premier pro bowl cornerback would get vs. what he would be likely to make if he was out of the NFL. It's a decent chunk of change, and the sort of thing the NFL might have to seriously consider.
I also note that NO ONE has actually confirmed the suspension yet, not the Seahawks, not the NFL, not Browner. It's been all hearsay. If it was so cut and dried, we'd have him suspended already, so the Seahawks could use the roster spot.
