Josh Gordon‘s continuous run-ins with the law and violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy has forced the league and the Cleveland Browns to contemplate how to proceed with the talented wide receiver.
Gordon was likely to receive a suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy, and after being arrested for suspicion of DWI over the weekend, he has now put his professional football career in jeopardy. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns aren’t sure that the wide receiver that led the league in receiving yards a year can even have a future in Cleveland.
#Browns coaches & personnel were already not counting on Josh Gordon this season. Now, doubt creeping in whether he’ll ever play for them
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 5, 2014
Gordon’s NFL future is clouded by his off-the-field problems, likely stemming from hanging out with the wrong type of people. Who bailed him out of jail after his arrest? None other than a well-known convicted felon, and I imagine the Browns front office took notice.
A young, up-and-coming talent, Gordon’s career is somewhat reminiscent of Cris Carter‘s. The recent Hall of Fame wide receiver and ESPN analyst Carter recently spoke out about Gordon and his off-the-field troubles, and made headlines when he suggested the Browns should release him so he can get his priorities in order.
“It’s fairly obvious that (using substances) is more important to him than anything else,” Carter told Cleveland.com. “It’s always been very, very important to him. It’s well-documented that it’s been primary since early college. Maybe it even goes back to early high school.”
“I’d much rather help an undrafted free agent that has a problem and he says I’ve got a problem and he wants some help, then help a guy who’s first-team All-Pro (and hasn’t reached out).
“My bottom was getting cut and I was so upset because even though they cut me, I wasn’t using at the time,” said Carter. “They cut me because they couldn’t trust me. At the time, I had only flunked two tests. The next one, I would’ve been suspended for a year. I was clean for over six months at the time I got cut.”
For a lot of organization — the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers among them — releasing Gordon after these two incidents is likely a no-brainer. Those teams don’t deal with nonsense, especially one problem after another, and instead do what’s right for both the organization and the player.
The Browns, however, represent the exception to the rule.
No NFL franchise has been down in the dumps longer than the Cleveland Browns. No team has spent more time looking up at the Ravens and Bengals and Steelers, and has dealt with heartache and disappointment and continual failure than the Cleveland Browns.
With Gordon, the Browns caught a glimpse of a potentially bright future. And months after Gordon broke out to spark the offense despite not having a true quarterback behind center, fans eye were further opened by the drafting of Johnny Manziel. Oh, what a tandem Manziel and Gordon were going to be … in Cleveland.
This second incident for Gordon likely will result in a year-long suspension from the league, putting the hopes of a Manziel-to-Gordon connection on hold. But given Carter’s recent comments, perhaps the organization won’t allow it to ever happen.
The Browns’ new front office under general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine want to turn the organization around. They don’t want players being bailed out of jail by convicted felons, and they don’t want high-risk players on the verge of their second league suspension being the centerpiece of their franchise. Gordon was red flagged coming out of Baylor; that’s why he was drafted in the second round of the NFL’s Supplemental Draft, and that’s why his career in the league is anything but a guarantee.
But if Cleveland releases him and he does get re-instated for the 2015 season, what if the Steelers take a chance on him? What if the Ravens decide to give him a chance to resurrect his career? They’re quality organizations with histories of success and get the most out of their players both on and off the field.
And more dangerous for Browns fans, what if he excels for their division rivals?
That’s why the Browns likely are and will be quite reluctant to just let Gordon walk. The team does not have to pay him if and when he’s suspended for 2014, and they can hope he can work with professionals to straight out his life away from the field and be ready to contribute a year from now.
Carter believes being cut would be a check for the budding star, and maybe it would be. It’s humbling to see the NFL’s leading receiver cut before the next year even begins. But the Browns can’t take that chance of letting their rivals scoop him up without risk. They have to bank on their team of professionals being able to help Gordon.
For now, football is on the back-burner. Gordon needs to straighten out his personal life. And if he is unable to do so and winds up ending a potentially historic NFL career, it seems almost too unfortunate it would happen to the Cleveland Browns.
