A season ago, Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson didn’t want anything to do with Josh Gordon. But after the receiver returned to practice on Wednesday, it was clear that something changed.
Following Wednesday’s practice, Jackson said that Gordon had dealt with a disease. After educating himself on the matter, the coach felt that Gordon had earned another shot.
“I hadn’t had a lot exposure to him, other than what I knew,” Jackson said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “And then once I understood it better and watched him earn the right to be back in this building — and again, I’m able to monitor — wasn’t able to talk to him, but I was able to monitor what he was doing and understood what he was doing and what he was going through, I felt more comfortable of understanding what was going on.”
It’s been a long road back for Gordon, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since December 21, 2014. Gordon was suspended for all of 2015. As a four-game suspension at the beginning of 2016 was nearing its end, he entered a rehabilitation center, which ended that season.
He is eligible to return to the field for Cleveland’s Week 13 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.