Josh Gordon is well aware that his image in the NFL is tarnished. The wide receiver penned a first-person letter on the website Medium to make it clear that he is owning up to his mistakes and hoping to move forward in the best way. The wide receiver officially failed another alcohol test which has him facing a one-year ban from the NFL and a likely release from the Cleveland Browns. This issue is just one of many for the receiver whose future is now in jeopardy as the Browns prepare to move on from Gordon.
According to Gordon via the letter, the reason for the failed test was because he had two beers and two drinks on a private airplane with a few of his teammates. After the flight he was asked to take an alcohol test to which he tested positive. Gordon maintains that he is not an alcoholic and it was simply a lapse in judgment which he expects to own up to.
"I failed the test, obviously, and the rest is history ... colored by media speculation and faux outrage," Gordon wrote. "In the end, of course, I failed myself. It doesn't matter if I thought that the league-imposed restriction on drinking had expired at the end of the regular season; what matters is that I didn't confirm whether or not that was the case. Now, that oversight has further jeopardized my relationship with my team and our fans, my reputation, and maybe even my career."
While the apology could help, the thin ice Gordon was on in Cleveland likely broke with that failed test. Several of Gordon's teammates have come to his defense following the potential year ban, but head coach Mike Pettine told the media earlier in the offseason that the Browns and the receiver were at a crossroads which means another suspension likely gets him released.
Gordon started 2013 with a two-game suspension. He started 2014 with a 10-game suspension. The Browns are expected to release the receiver and spend big in free agency to replace him. Armed with two first-round draft picks, Cleveland could target trades for Larry Fitzgerald or Mike Wallace. They could also sign Jeremy Maclin, Dez Bryant or Randall Cobb in free agency.
