Josh Gordon Suspended One Year For Another Failed Drug Test
Josh Gordon just won’t learn. Per reports, the Cleveland Browns star wide receiver is expected to be banned from the NFL for one full year due to yet another failed drug test. ESPN‘s Adam Schefter reports that the troubled wideout flunked his latest drug test and will be subject to league suspension. Given that this is far from his first offense and that he just finished a 10-game ban during the 2014 NFL season, the next step is a full suspension for an entire year.
The year long suspension doesn’t just include season activities with the Browns, but would begin the date Gordon is officially suspended and would extend for 365 days. That means Gordon would not be allowed to train with the Browns and would not be allowed in team facilities. All communication between Gordon and the Cleveland Browns would be cut off and he would effectively be on his own for a full year.
It’s not exactly shocking that Gordon has garnered yet another failed drug test and suspension, but it has to have many shaking their heads. The superstar wide receiver entered the league a problem child via the Supplemental Draft in 2012, but initially appeared to be worth the risk with dazzling plays as a rookie. Gordon took his obvious promise to the next level in 2013, when he racked up 87 receptions for over 1,600 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Seen as a generational talent and one of the league’s rising young stars, many vaulted him to the top of the league at his position.
A failed drug test last summer challenged to tear down everything Gordon had built, however, and changes in the league’s substance abuse policy ultimately helped him miss just 10 games. Still, there was real concern within the Browns organization that he couldn’t be reigned in and that he was one wrong move away from another lengthy ban.
Gordon’s questionable decision-making gave way to trade rumors and many felt he and other Cleveland players could be on the move this summer. Gordon’s trade value has been all but ruined with this latest news, however, and the Browns may have to decide whether he’s worth the grief or whether simply cutting him now would make their lives easier. At this point, it’s likely Gordon gets cut loose and spends a full year away from football. Hopefully by then he’ll have realized how reckless he’s been. If not, he could simply set himself for an eventual life-time ban from the league.
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