NFL: Why was Josh Gordon suspended?
Some NFL fans forgot that wide receiver Josh Gordon is still on a team in 2020, as news broke earlier this week that the league has reinstated Gordon and will be set to return possibly in the last two weeks of the season for the Seattle Seahawks
Gordon was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft. After his showcasing of a combined 2,451 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in the first two seasons with the Browns, he was considered a very underrated receiver. But after that, things went downhill for then young receiver out of Baylor.
Gordon's issues began in 2014
Just before the start of the 2014 season, Gordon was suspended for one year due to substance abuse. However, his suspension was reduced to 10 games and Gordon was reinstated in mid-November.
Then came 2015, when Gordon was again suspended for the whole season due to substance abuse. While he would be ready for the 2016 season, his reinstatement was denied by the league after Gordon failed a drug test. He was reinstated in July 2016 but suspended for the first four games of the season.
Surprisingly though, Gordon decided to check himself into a rehabilitation facility and seemingly ended his 2016 return to the league.
Finally, came the 2017 season, when Gordon was activated off the Commissioner's Exempt list and was active in Week 13. Against the Los Angeles Chargers, Gordon had four receptions for 85 yards. He would end up totaling 335 receiving yards in five games.
Gordon played his last game for the Browns in Week 1 when the 2018 season began, before the Browns decided to part ways with him due to multiple reasons. As a result, Gordon and a seventh-round pick was traded to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick.
Gordon immediately picked up and showed the league what he has left, collecting 720 receiving yards and three touchdowns, before he decided to step away from football and was banned for violating his reinstatement policy. Despite all that, Gordon was awarded a Super Bowl LIII ring, after the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams that year.
The Patriots were set on bringing Gordon back in the 2019 season, and return he did before being placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury. As a result, the Patriots released Gordon.
Then came the Seattle Seahawks, who claimed Gordon off waivers. In the five games he played, Gordon had 139 receiving yards.
So what was Gordon suspended for this time?
In December of 2019, Gordon was suspended indefinitely for performance-enhancing drugs and substance abuse. Despite that, the Seahawks resigned Gordon to a one-year deal.
As stated before, Gordon will only be available to return to the last two weeks of the season. It is unclear when the Seahawks plan to bring him back since a physical and COVID-19 testing must be done. But either way, if he has any fuel left in his tank, he could be an immediate impact player for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense.