The Cleveland Browns ended the season on a disappointing note with Josh Gordon suspended and a losing streak and now the team could look at a trade or release for Gordon, as his free agent status is up in the air and if the sides split, teams like the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders could be interested in the wide receiver.
Gordon comes out of the season after being suspended multiple times and now he faces a yearlong ban for testing positive for alcohol while he was not supposed to be drinking. According to ESPN.com, Gordon was suspended for 10 games stemming from a drug issue and he was suspended again in Week 17 after he missed a team function for the Browns. On Medium.com Gordon put out an open letter about his situation, saying that he does not have addiction issues and that the reason he tested positive for alcohol was a misunderstanding.
Gordon led the league in receiving yards two years ago and showed that he had the potential to be one of the best receivers in the league. Gordon had 87 catches for 1246 yards and nine TDs that season in just 14 games and he followed that up with 24 catches in five games this season. Gordon has blazing speed, but his off the field issues could stop him from becoming a great receiver. Gordon now may not be back in the NFL until 2016 with this latest ban, but he still can salvage his career if he ends up away from Cleveland in the future.
Gordon wrote a first person piece on Medium.com describing his situation and while he did not make excuses for what he did, he did call out some in the media for saying things about him. Gordon's situation made many get heated in the media, including Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley as well as Cris Carter and that prompted Gordon to respond. Gordon wrote about where he came from and also how he grew up and detailed some of the issues he has dealt with off the field.
Gordon also describes how he ended up getting suspended, as he thought the end of the regular season meant his time off alcohol was over for league testing purposes. Gordon said he blames no one else but himself for not making sure that was the case and that is why he failed a test after the season. Gordon said he thought the league imposed restrictions on him were over and he failed the test after getting off of a flight with teammates in which he had a couple drinks.
Gordon has had numerous issues off the field in the past, but as he showed in the article here, he can be a thoughtful and intelligent person as well. Gordon has to overcome quite a bit to get back into the good graces of the league, but he has the chance to come back better than ever. At just 23 years old Gordon is too young to be given up on and a team should be able to get the most out of him once he comes back.
