BROWNS PLAN TO KEEP GORDON DESPITE TRADE INQUIRIES
Browns plan to keep receiver, who wants to stay in Cleveland.
Josh Gordon didn’t fight his way back into a Browns uniform just so he could say goodbye again.
He’s loving being here with good friends such as Robert Griffin III, Terrelle Pryor and Joe Haden, so it was a relief to him to hear Tuesday the Browns have no intention of trading him.
Multiple teams have inquired, but a Browns source said the team isn’t interested in dealing him.
“I haven’t heard too much about it,” Gordon said after a hot, steamy practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers here. “Cleveland is my team. That’s where I want to be. That’s not even in the ballpark for me. I’m not sure how that works.”
After being welcomed back to the Browns with open arms despite being suspended for 27 of his last 32 games, he’s grateful that they have no plans to move him. He’s even grown close to Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who’s always taken a special interest in him.
“It works out perfectly then for me,” Gordon said. “Mr. Haslam, the organization, Coach [Hue] Jackson, I think the world of those guys, this city, this organization. Apparently they’re showing the love and respect back to me by allowing me to stay here up to this point. I expect to move forward with that and I’m excited about it. This is where I want to be.”
Haden, for one, would hate to see him go. The two have been close since Gordon was drafted in 2012. In fact, Gordon has spent many an evening hanging out on Haden’s couch as the guest of Haden and his wife Sarah.
“The business is so crazy, but as far as my personal opinion, I really, really like J.G.,” Haden said. “I’m really happy for him. He got a chance to be back. I’m just talking to him and him showing how really excited and how blessed and how much he feels like this is an opportunity for him.
“I’m just excited for him and he’s definitely a player that can help out our team in many ways. I’m happy that he’s here right now and I’m happy that he’s a part of the team.”
The receiving trio of Josh Gordon, Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman is set to debut during Friday night’s Browns-Bucs preseason game, provided Coleman and Gordon are healthy.
Gordon was suspended the first 10 games of the 2014 season for a positive marijuana test, and for all of 2015 after being caught drinking alcohol on a plane after the season. Gordon, 25, will be suspended indefinitely again if he violates the substance abuse policy another time.
But he’s determined not to do that, and isn’t allowing himself to get frustrated that he has to sit out the first four games.
“I’m really happy just to be back,” he said. “All things considered, I’m grateful to be back at practice. Every day, I get to wake up with the team, play or not, I’m glad just to be here.”
Browns at Buccaneers, 8 p.m., WHIO-TV, AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO