Having announced that he’s returning to the team following a hiatus to deal with personal issues, most expected Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon to be back on the practice field to start the week.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, that’s not yet the case. The Browns’ insider on Monday noted that Gordon has not yet been cleared to return to the practice field as Cleveland prepares for its all-important third preseason game.
#Browns Josh Gordon has not yet been cleared to practice.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 20, 2018
We’re not 100 percent sure what this means. What we do know is that the NFL had its hands all over Gordon’s two-plus week absense from training camp.
Working in unison with the league, Gordon took time away from the Browns to deal with personal issues. Gordon himself noted upon his return that the whole idea relating to his absence was to remain sober off the field.
https://twitter.com/JOSH_GORDONXII/status/1030848608306962435
The 27-year-old receiver has been suspended multiple times throughout his career for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The latest suspension cost him the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons as well as a vast majority of last year.
Now seemingly sober, the NFL and his Browns have done everything possible to help Gordon. Whether this latest piece of information can seen as a setback is not yet known.