NFL Officially Suspends Josh Gordon for 2015 Season

It has officially been announced that highly talented Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended for at least the 2015 season — the phrase “at least” is key, as the possibility of a larger suspension is still looming.

In a statement from Browns GM Ray Farmer, “As we have conveyed, we are disappointed to once again be at this point with Josh. Throughout his career we have tried to assist him in getting support like we would with any member of our organization. Unfortunately our efforts have not resonated with him. It is evident that Josh needs to make some substantial strides to live up to the positive culture we are trying to build this football team upon. Our hope is that this suspension affords Josh the opportunity to gain some clarity in determining what he wants to accomplish moving forward and if he wants a career in the National Football League. We will have no further comment on Josh as he will not be permitted in our facility for the duration of his suspension.”

Certainly harsh words from the Browns organization and this is in spite of Gordon’s recently published open letter, which questions the role of the media and explains his latest run-in with the NFL’s league office. “On Jan. 2 of this year, just days after our season ended earlier than we all had hoped… I boarded a private flight to Las Vegas with several teammates. During the flight, I had two beers and two drinks. It was the first time I had consumed so much as a drop of alcohol since July 4, 2014, the day of the DWI.”

Gordon continued, “Upon landing, I received the all-too-familiar notice by phone that I was to report to a testing location within four hours. I failed the test, obviously, and the rest is history… In the end, of course, I failed myself. It doesn’t matter if I thought that the league-imposed restriction on drinking had expired at the end of the regular season; what matters is that I didn’t confirm whether or not that was the case.” But the athlete still maintains that he is not a drug addict or an alcoholic and the situation is not as dire as the media makes it out to be.

In the end, one can only hope that Gordon bounces back from this most recent suspension, as he is one of the most talented receivers in the league: in three seasons of only 35 games, he has 2,754 receiving yards, 161 receptions and 14 touchdowns.