Is Josh Gordon’s NFL career over? Evidently, many teams say ‘yes’
Former New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has been indefinitely suspended from the NFL once again, and this time, he might not be coming back.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me six times? Maybe this isn’t going to work anymore…
Josh Gordon was indefinitely suspended by the NFL on Monday for violating league rules and policies governing PEDs and substance abuse. While it’s unknown what exactly he did to warrant the suspension, it’s unfortunately not a surprise to anyone who’s been following his story since he first came into the NFL back in 2012.
Why? Because this is Gordon’s sixth suspension as a pro. It’s also his fifth time getting suspended for something drug or alcohol related as well.
And according to Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman, this time might also be the last time Gordon gets suspended. Freeman claims that “teams are saying that Gordon’s NFL career is over,” and while he acknowledges that this isn’t the first time Gordon’s future as a professional football player has been prematurely written off, he also suggests that “it sure does seem like that notion is correct this time.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it perfectly clear last summer that Gordon’s reinstatement from his previous indefinite suspension was a conditional one, so it’s obvious that Gordon violated the terms of that reinstatement. Now the only questions left to be answered are the following:
- What did Gordon do to get indefinitely suspended once again?
- Will he ever get reinstated/will he ever play another snap in the NFL?
- Did the New England Patriots know more about this ordeal than they let on?
That third question is arguably the most intriguing one, at least for the present. More details are sure to come out in the future regarding how exactly Gordon messed up, and only time will tell whether he ever has another opportunity to suit up for an NFL team again.
But in the here and now, it’s a fascinating question to consider whether or not Bill Belichick and the Patriots knew something was going down with Gordon when they made the surprise decision to move him to IR despite him being relatively healthy at the time. Gordon ended up on waivers and got claimed by the Seattle Seahawks, with whom he saw limited action during the second half of the season before he got suspended.
Especially with all the injuries, attrition, and ineffectiveness at the pass-catching positions this season in New England, it didn’t make much sense at the time for the Patriots to move on from Gordon. He wasn’t having a great season by any stretch of the imagination, but he still offered more proven talent and chemistry with Tom Brady than other receiver options like Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, etc.
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If the Patriots knew that Gordon had slipped up and that there was a good chance he’d be suspended once again by the league, perhaps they decided it was best to cut ties with him early before the news became public knowledge. After all, this team has already had more than its fair share of controversies this year without Gordon’s suspension being added to the mix.