Troubled WR gets another chance
By The Associated Press
Josh Gordon’s curious and complicated career has taken a new turn. He’s getting yet another chance.
The talented but troubled wide receiver has been reinstated on a conditional basis by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who met face-to-face with Gordon last week and said he believes the 25-year-old can “make the right choices” going forward.
Gordon has been banned since February 2015 for multiple violations of the league’s drug policies. He will be suspended for the first four games of the 201617 season, but he’s allowed to join the team in its upcoming training camp and can participate in meetings and conditioning work.
The league said once Gordon meets clinical requirements, he can take part in preseason activities, including practices and games.
It’s a fresh start for Gordon, who emerged as one of the league’s rising stars in 2013 before several missteps led to his banishment.
Gordon expressed his gratitude in a message on Twitter. “I’m blessed and grateful to be granted this opportunity,” he wrote. “I can’t wait to get back out there and play the game I love in front of the great fans of Cleveland.
“I want to thank the NFLPA, [c]ommissioner Goodell, the Haslam family and Browns organization, my agent Drew Rosenhaus, as well as my mentors for their continuous support along the way.
As long as he stays clean, Gordon is eligible to return to the team Oct. 3 and play in the Oct. 9 home game against New England. That’s also the game in which Patriots quarterback Tom Brady returns from his suspension for Deflategate.
Texans
Houston placed star defensive end J.J. Watt on the physically unable to perform list less than a week before training camp begins. The move, which was expected, comes after Watt recently had back surgery. The NFL sacks leader last season with 17½ is expected to be ready for the season opener. Watt, 27, played all of last season for Texas with a herniated disk and spent most of the offseason recovering after surgery to repair a groin injury in January.
Dolphins
Longtime NFL receiver Greg Jennings has retired from football, he announced in a YouTube video. Jennings played 10 seasons in the NFL and played for Miami in 2015, ultimately his final year in the league. “Football is over. I’m done. No more big hits. No more ‘Touchdown, Greg Jennings!’ I’m done, and I’m excited to be done.”
49ers
Anthony Davis has taken the first step toward returning to the NFL after abruptly retiring last year. The 49ers’ former right tackle wrote on Twitter that he has sent a letter to the league office in New York requesting reinstatement.
Packers
Receiver Jordy Nelson will start training camp on the sideline, joining five other Packers on the physically unable to perform list. Nelson is coming back from a torn right ACL that kept him out for the entire 2015 season.
Elsewhere
The NFL and the players association have announced a new policy regarding game-day concussion protocol and discipline for clubs that violate the procedure. Under the new policy which was jointly announced, the NFL and NFLPA “will follow a strict and fair process to investigate incidents and determine appropriate discipline, including club fines and possible forfeiture of draft picks.”