Former NFL receiving champ Josh Gordon is looking to return to the league, therefore he filled out some papers which must seem increasingly familiar to him at this point: paperwork designed to apply for reinstatement to the league.

Gordon, who played in 11 games for the New England Patriots last year before undergoing a substance abuse-related suspension, missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons as well after the NFL banned him for the same reasons while on the Cleveland Browns. Gordon rejoined the Browns two years later for the 2017 season, during which he managed to catch a touchdown and rack up an admirable 335 yards during the five games he played. The next season, Cleveland traded Gordon to New England after Week 1. With Tom Brady throwing to him, Gordon enjoyed his best season since his league–leading 1,646–yard campaign by hauling in 40 catches, three of them as touchdowns, while also surpassing the 700-yard mark for receptions.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell currently holds the keys with the potential to open a door to lead Gordon back to the gridiron. Goodell issued his concerns regarding Gordon’s overall health outside the game after his suspension last December.

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Goodell stated, “The first thing is to focus on Josh himself as a young man, and what he needs to do to get his life on the right track. That’s what our focus is. We have resources supporting that, and that’s our hope.” Goodell next spoke on Gordon’s goals as he commented, “I think right now, he has had a complete focus on ‘I have to get myself all cleared in the right place before I can get back on the field.”

Gordon’s quarterback also mentioned his good wishes for Gordon going forward. When asked about an offseason catch held between Brady and Gordon, the six–time Super Bowl champ stated, “He was around and I needed someone to catch. I’ve always enjoyed playing with him and obviously, I hope everything works out for him.” Last year, Brady appeared to enjoy a strong connection with Gordon on the field, as the two provided an approach somewhat nostalgic to New England’s extremely successful Brady–to–Randy Moss attack from years prior.

With his application to once again join the NFL fraternity, Gordon appears convinced he’s ready to build things up with Brady once more and with himself as well.

NEW YORK, March 4. 2016- The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan will decide whether or not over turn Tom Brady’s 4-game suspension from the 2015-16 season.

Brady Faces Possible Suspension As NFL Appeals Previous Annulment

Brady was initially suspended for a quarter of last season for his part in the Deflategate scandal, in which he allegedly had knowledge or even encouraged the deflation of game balls in the Patriots’ 45-7 victory over the Colts in the 2014-14 AFC Championship Game. The Patriots would go on to win Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks 28-24.

The NFL based most of it’s appeal on the facts that Brady destroyed his cell phone with over 10,000 messages. Judge Barrington D. Parker said that the destruction of the quarterback’s cell phone raised the case, “from air in a football to compromising the integrity of a proceeding that the commissioner had convened.”

NFL Players Association attorney Jeffrey Kessler said that no one ever asked for the phone.

“An adjudicator looking at these facts, it seems to me, might conclude that the cellphone had incriminating information on it and that, in the teeth of an investigation, it was deliberately destroyed,” Parker said. “So why couldn’t the commissioner suspend Mr. Brady for that conduct alone?”

The hearing wasn’t all one sided though, specifically on why NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided that he himself should be the arbitrator and why he recorded findings that were not in the report put together by the private investigator hired by the league.

Judge Parker also acknowledged that Goodell’s power in the case and NFL make his scenario different than most of the other arbitration cases heard by the court.

Kessler may have actually been the one who did the most to strengthen Brady’s odds at a suspension.  He repeatedly told the Judges that Goodell has every right to punish a player who interfered with an investigation and/or engaged in detrimental conduct.

While Parker did seem a bit confused on the benefits of a deflated football and why the punishment was so severe, he did say that Brady’s explanation for the cell phone destruction made no sense. So it’s possible that Brady could be suspended for his actions outside of the lines and off the field.

It is unknown when a decision will be reached, it could take a few weeks to a couple of months.