NFL buyers beware when it comes to Gordon
Browns say they will cut troubled wide receiver
Same book, next chapter.
That was one of the parting-shot messages posted on Instagram from Josh Gordon, on the verge of being dumped by the Browns.
It is better served as the perfect warning for the next team that rolls the dice on the talented but troubled wide receiver.
Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, former 49ers teammates, still can’t get jobs in the NFL as they pursue collusion cases flowing from their peaceful protests — kneeling during the national anthem — but the chances are much better that Gordon will get another chance despite a saga with the Browns wrapped in drug suspensions and now another form of drama that undermined trust.
“Enough is enough,” a person on the Browns staff texted to USA TODAY from New Orleans on Saturday night, after the team announced that it plans to release Gordon on Monday.
The person did not want to be identified, due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
But he expressed frustration with a turn of events that included Gordon fully participating in practices all week, until showing up on Saturday to declare he couldn’t play against the Saints on Sunday due to a hamstring injury that apparently occurred on Friday night.
Don’t blame the Browns, who through multiple regimes supported Gordon for six years as he has battled substance abuse issues that caused him to miss 56 of a possible 97 games due to suspensions. They stuck with him this summer when he checked into a rehab facility rather than training camp.
Yet the final straw came Saturday, after Gordon, 27, reported to the team’s headquarters about 10 minutes late and wound up getting unexpected treatment in the training room, due to the hamstring. It’s unclear how Gordon was injured, but he posted a short video from the Browns headquarters on Friday night where he filmed a promotional video. According to a team spokesman, the team “was somewhat aware,” that Gordon would use their facility for the video but added that the promotion was not a team-related event. It is believed that Gordon’s video was related to a personal line of apparel.
In any event, Gordon was left behind when the team flew on Saturday to New Orleans, where the decision was announced with a statement from new GM John Dorsey.
“Unfortunately we’ve reached a point where we feel it’s best to part ways and move forward,” Dorsey said. “We wish Josh well.”
So this is how it ends.
A week ago Sunday, Gordon made just one catch — but it was a whale of a grab that he leaped to snag off the helmet of cornerback Cameron Sutton, which was the tying touchdown in what ultimately ended in a tie against Pittsburgh. It was a striking reminder of the reason the Browns stuck it out with Gordon and why some other NFL team will probably try to roll with if he avoids any further discipline related to his substance abuse issues.
The Browns indicated they will release Gordon, but telegraphing that before it happens is essentially a memo to other teams that he can be had for the highest bidder.
By Saturday night, reports swirled that multiple teams have already expressed interest in Gordon.
We all know one team that can use him, Dallas, with team owner Jerry Jones demonstrating over the years he’s more willing than most to provide a second chance to a talented player with offthe-field issues. If Gordon’s mind and body are right, there’s little doubt that he can become the type of big-play weapon who led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013.
Yet here’s the rub: Buyer beware. Regardless of what Gordon posted, his situation needs a new book with a new chapter.
Here’s hoping that as tempting a talent as Gordon is, this current issue isn’t the tip of an iceberg that includes substance abuse.
Sadly, it is a fair question to be asked. If there are issues again, getting clean and healthy is obviously the top priority. Football would just have to wait.
For the Browns, a “Hard Knocks” franchise that also went through the ringer with Johnny Manziel — now in Canada, hoping to reignite a oncepromising career that was derailed by assorted issues that included alcohol abuse — it came down to a matter of trust. The waiting is over.
When Gordon returned to the team on Aug.18, after his fifth known stint in a treatment facility, according to Cleveland.com, he came back with the condi- tion from the Browns brain trust that it was one last shot.
Now, it’s clear that they have concluded they can’t depend on Gordon for anything … except the next round of drama.
On Instagram, Gordon ended a post with a plea:
P.S. Anybody need a deep threat WR???
Just know that deep threat comes as part of a package with deep layers.
If you’re in the shoes of Dorsey and coach Hue Jackson, trying to build a culture and win games after the Browns went 0-16 last year and 1-15 the year before, another message needed to be delivered to the other players on the roster. Two weeks ago, the Browns cut linebacker Mychal Kendricks after he pleaded guilty to insider trading charges. Kendricks, since signed by the Seahawks, has been cleared to play while awaiting sentencing. But he won’t play for the Browns.
Now Gordon has the same fate for a franchise that seems unable to get out of its own way when it comes to winning games — as demonstrated again Sunday with an upset that went awry in New Orleans — but is determined nonetheless to find its way.