CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) – The Cleveland Browns were disappointed to learn that Josh Gordon’s application for reinstatement was denied on Tuesday, but they won’t allow it to derail their plans moving forward.
The team’s tone regarding Gordon’s situation changed over the last few weeks, likely because the Browns saw this coming.
At the NFL Combine, Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown spoke of how the team would welcome him back with open arms but last week head coach Hue Jackson didn’t even want to discuss Gordon.
“If anything, disappointed for Josh,” Brown told Bob Popa and Solomon Wilcotts Wednesday morning on SirusXM’s ‘Opening Drive.’ “Organizationally, we’re focused on the 65 or so players on our roster right now. Once Josh was suspended we, organizationally, set our mind-frame to not counting on him coming back and I think that’s the only healthy way to operate and the way we continue to look at it.”
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Brown’s remarks were the first official comments from the team since Gordon’s application was denied on Tuesday.
Gordon, who was suspended indefinitely in January of 2015 for violating the league’s policies for substances of abuse after testing positive for alcohol consumption, raised red flags with a marijuana test last month. Although Gordon didn’t fail the test per se, traces of marijuana and dilute, which could have been used to mask the sample, were found causing the league to hold off on letting him back in.
He may re-apply for reinstatement later this year, reportedly on Aug. 1.
Since the Browns drafted Gordon in the 2012 supplemental draft he has failed multiple drug tests and been suspended on 3 occasions and has missed 27 of the last 32 Browns games.
The Browns have tried to assist Gordon as much as league rules permit behind the scenes but to little avail. Now Gordon and the team is in wait and see mode once again until training camp begins.
“If Josh is fortunate enough to be reinstated, obviously we’ll have some discussions with him at that time,” Brown said. “In the meantime, the main thing I take away from it is that I just hope josh gets to a place where he’s able to be reinstated and gets, I don’t want to say his life’s not together, but whatever it might be [that is] preventing him from being reinstated he can have addressed and get on a good path moving forward.
“He’s got a bright future ahead of him and he’s still young as heck so we’re rooting for him and if comes to pass that he’s back in the league, great.”
