Josh Gordon’s reinstatement project was put on hold due to a reported false-positive test for marijuana in March.
Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports first reported the news, and Adam Schefter of ESPN had the scoop on the NFL’s response Tuesday morning:
Josh Gordon's potential reinstatement will be delayed until NFL feels comfortable he has 60-90 days of no red-flag tests, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2016
So if all goes well and if Josh Gordon stays clean – big ifs – he could be reinstated to play the 2016 season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2016
It’s understandable.
After being suspended indefinitely last February, Gordon applied for reinstatement a year later. Most who cover the Cleveland Browns have wondered why Roger Goodell was sitting on a ruling a couple months later, and of course now we realize why.
While the cannabinoids found in Gordon’s urine were under the 35 nanograms per millimeter threshold for the test, the fact that it was a diluted sample was a red flag in itself.
Throw in a report that Gordon and Johnny Manziel are reportedly rooming together right now, and you can see why the NFL is less than enthused about giving Gordon another shot at playing in the league after three suspensions in his early career.
At this point, given his history, it’s all about the appearance of evil for Gordon. The NFL doesn’t have any proof that Gordon is necessarily out there doing bad things, but the test results in March indicate a cover-up, and Manziel just can’t be a part of the conversation.