The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Just before return, Gordon checks into rehab
Four days before he was to resume his football career with the Browns, Josh Gordon has announced he is checking himself into rehab.
Gordon was suspended all of 2015 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He was reinstated in July, but part of his reinstatement included being suspended the first four games this year. That suspension was due to end after the Browns played the Redskins on Oct. 2.
“After careful thought and deep consideration I’ve decided that I need to step away from pursuing my return to the Browns and my football career to enter an in-patient rehabilitation facility,” Gordon said in a statement released by the Browns on Sept. 29. “This is the right decision for me and one that I hope will enable me to gain full control of my life and continue on a path to reach my full potential as a person.
“I appreciate the support of the NFL, NFLPA, the Browns, my teammates, my agent and the community through this extremely challenging process.”
The Brown, as they have all along, have chosen not to
abandon Gordon. He is under contract with them through the end of this season, but he has not been paid since 2014 because he has been suspended.
“We support Josh in taking this step to seek additional help and treatment,” Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said in a statement. “His singular focus must be on his own health. We want nothing more than for Josh to be successful personally and professionally and will not comment on his status with the organization at this time.”
Gordon did not specify for what substance he is seeking treatment. During his troubled career with the Browns, he has failed multiple NFL-ordered random tests for marijuana, but each time he denied having a problem. He blamed a failed test that led to a 10-game suspension in 2014 on secondhand smoke.
It had to be difficult for Gordon to enter a rehab clinic voluntarily because until now he has denied having a problem.
On Jan. 26, 2015, Gordon wrote an open letter to Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith and Cris Carter in response to them judging him when he was suspended indefinitely for failing a test for alcohol earlier that month. Barkley played in the NBA and Carter played in the NFL.
Barkley is in the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame and a television NBA analyst. Carter, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, openly admitted to having addiction problems while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was not retained as an NFL analyst on ESPN. Smith is a prominent figure on ESPN.
“I am not a drug addict,” Gordon wrote. “I am not an alcoholic. I am not someone who deserves to be dissected and analyzed like some tragic example of everything that can possibly go wrong for a professional athlete.
“Truth is, I have not smoked marijuana since before I was drafted by the Browns in 2012 — and there are years’ worth of drug tests to prove it.”
Browns head coach Hue Jackson was looking forward to getting Gordon and Terrelle Pryor on the field together as big, fast wide receivers. Pryor has emerged as the Browns’ best offensive weapon this season. Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards in 2013 with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013 despite being suspended the first two games for what he said was taking cough syrup with the banned substance Codeine.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy in an email response would not say how Gordon’s decision affects the receiver’s reinstatement.
“Our concern is with Josh’s well-being,” McCarthy wrote. “We will decline comment on his status with the team.”
On Aug. 31, Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Judge Alison Floyd issued an arrest warrant alleging Gordon failed to answer subpoenas in a paternity suit. The story came to light on Sept. 21.
“I can’t tell you about everything that goes on outside this building — but I know in this building in our meetings with me, with our coaches, with the players, (Gordon) has been outstanding,” Jackson said.
The arrest warrant was withdrawn when Gordon took a DNA test later Sept. 21, ESPN reported.