Former All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon was reinstated back into the NFL on Monday, as first reported by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. But as Rapoport also reported, there is one major condition that will be a bit of a downer for Browns fans. While Gordon will be coming back to the team, he will be suspended for Cleveland's first four games:
Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,646 in 2013, despite dealing with the overwhelming disadvantage of having Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer, and Brandon Weeden as his quarterbacks. In addition to that, he also missed the the first two games of that season after violating the league's substance abuse policy, which has turned into a consistent theme throughout his career. But despite those setbacks, Gordon made the Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro during that season.
Since then, Gordon has struggled with a series of off-the-field issues. In 2014, he played in just five games after getting arrested for a DWI in North Carolina. Then, in 2015, he was suspended for the entire NFL season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, and an application for reinstatement that he filed in January 2016 was denied in March after he reportedly failed another drug test.
However, on Monday, the NFL decided it was going to allow Gordon another chance. Here's the statement the league released to announce the decision:
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also wrote a letter to Gordon about his reinstatement:
Gordon is currently scheduled to make his regular season return on Sunday, October 9 against the Patriots on, coincidentally, the same day Tom Brady is scheduled to return from his Deflategate suspension. Now let's just hope this is the last time the words "Josh Gordon" and "suspension" are included in the same story.
The Browns did not immediately return Complex's request for comment on Gordon's reinstatement.
