Report: Josh Gordon entered rehab after drug-and-alcohol policy 'slip-up'
When the Cleveland Browns and Josh Gordon announced this past week the troubled wide receiver was entering an in-patient rehabilitation center, just days before his four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy was to be lifted, many waited for the other shoe to drop.
It did Sunday, when the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Gordon’s rehab stint coincided with an alleged “slip-up” that may serve as yet another violation of the league’s drug and alcohol policy.
Sources: #Browns WR Josh Gordon entered rehab after what was described to me as a “slip-up,” a potential violation of drug & alcohol policy.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2016
Likewise, Cleveland.com reported Gordon’s most recent rehab stint comes as a result of an alcohol problem. He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2014, caught violating the terms of his suspension drinking on a team plane and subsequently suspended for the entire 2015 season.
Gordon’s battle with substance abuse has been no secret, as he’s been suspended multiple times by the NFL and played just five games since leading the league with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013. This after similar issues followed the 25-year-old throughout his college career at both Baylor and Utah.
What raised red flags is not that Gordon sought help in his sobriety at a treatment facility, but that he sought it so close to a potential Week 5 return against the New England Patriots. After all, he missed all of last season, so why wait until now to again address a problem that’s plagued him for years?
Rapoport’s report also opens a window into why the Browns organization was so cutthroat as Gordon entered rehab. Reports suggested Cleveland plans to cut him, and Browns coach Hue Jackson told reporters Friday, “I think what’s best for our football team is that we move forward and move on. He’s not going to be with us and we wish him well, but we’re moving forward. We’re going to move on.”
Incredibly, the Browns were shopping Gordon just prior to his most recent entry into rehab, seeking a draft pick in the first three rounds for the oft-troubled wideout, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Another violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy could cost Gordon a second straight season. At this point, all parties should hope the rehab stint is a success, so that the young man can move forward in his life, with or without football, free from a problem that is costing him his livelihood.
