We won’t see Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon until some time in 2016 due to a one-year suspension that was recently slapped on him for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy again.
Despite the turbulence Gordon has caused the Browns, it appears the team may still have some faith in him according to owner Jimmy Haslam, who had this to say regarding the troubled receiver (via Clevelandbrowns.com).
We spent a tremendous amount of time on Josh. At a certain point in time an individual has to take care of themselves and do what’s right — not just for themselves … but for the team, the coaches, the people in the building, the fans.
Josh has failed to accept that responsibility. I hope he can get his life together, he’s immensely gifted.
While it would seem that Gordon’s fate with the team was sealed upon receiving his latest suspension, the Browns do not appear to be in a rush to make a decision on his future just yet.
That’s a decision that we will need to look at make a certain point. He’s out for a year so there’s no huge hurry. We’ll address that at the proper time.
Gordon, who will sit out for the entire 2015 season, only played in five games in 2014 and missed the first two games of 2013—all due to league suspensions for off-field violations. What we mostly remember of Gordon was the fact that he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013.
Cleveland’s brass may be saying all the right things, but it’s easy for the team to take a wait-and-see approach here. However, a decision will have to be made on the troubled but talented receiver at some point in the future.
Photo: Cleveland.com