CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is serving another indefinite suspension, but his current team, the New England Patriots, is reportedly sticking by him as he works to overcome his addiction.
According to Doug Kyed of NESN (the New England Sports Network), Gordon remains at an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility in Gainesville, Florida, less than 350 miles from Atlanta, Georgia, where the Patriots will play the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII Sunday.
Also, NESN reported the Patriots are paying for Gordon’s treatment and the talented, yet troubled wide receiver has the support of both the National Football League and NFL Players’ Association while working through his latest off-the-field issue.
Should the Patriots beat the Rams Sunday, Gordon would receive a Super Bowl ring.
The Browns stood by Gordon through thick and thin for more than six years, but they reached a breaking point just before a flight to New Orleans ahead of their 21-18 loss to the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 16.
After landing in New Orleans, the Browns announced their intentions to release Gordon, but instead of giving him his walking papers, the team sent the one-time All-Pro/Pro Bowl pass catcher to the Patriots.
In exchange for Gordon, Browns general manager John Dorsey got back a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Gordon needed to play in at least 10 games for the Patriots, and over 11 outings for New England, he turned 40 passes into 720 yards and three touchdowns, including the 500th passing score of quarterback Tom Brady’s career.
The Browns gave up a second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft when they selected Gordon with a second-round choice in the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft.
In 2018, Gordon spent most of training camp away from the team while tending to personal matters.
Then, Gordon returned to the Browns days prior to the preseason finale only to suffer a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice until the Wednesday before the regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he caught a 17-yard touchdown pass in the waning minutes of regulation to help force overtime.
During his tenure with the Browns, Gordon converted 180 catches into 3,106 yards and 16 touchdowns. A Pro Bowl player in 2013, Gordon set a franchise record with an NFL-best 1,646 yards on 87 receptions with nine of those catches going for touchdowns despite missing the first two games of the season because of a suspension.
However, after that Pro Bowl season, Gordon was suspended for 44 consecutive games dating back to the final week of the 2014 season, which was a team ban for reportedly missing a walk-through prior to a trip to Baltimore to play the Ravens.
Gordon was suspended for a total of 56 games in his seven seasons with the Browns, 55 of which were league bans for positive drug and alcohol tests.
Gordon was suspended for the final two weeks of the 2018 regular season, bringing his career total to 58 missed games. Gordon has played in just 52 games since entering the league in 2012.
