04-12-2016, 12:40 PM
Josh Gordon’s path back to the NFL is clearer than his roommate’s.
The Cleveland Browns receiver, who was suspended for the entire 2015 season, “raised a red flag” in a NFL drug test administered in March by showing traces of marijuana and a diluting substance in his system.
The level of marijuana was less than the minimum required to trigger a positive substance abuse test.
“In the state he is in [within the NFL drug program],” a source told the Associated Press, “anything above a certain amount, even if it is below the threshold, raises a red flag.”
However, ESPN reported the NFL feels Gordon needs 60-90 days of no red-flag tests before his potential reinstatement, but if he “stays clean,” he could return to the field in 2016.
During his limbo, Gordon reportedly has been living in Los Angeles with former Browns teammate Johnny Manziel, whose NFL future is in increasing peril as he continues to party away the spring in Hollywood.
Lol, you guys are HILARIOUS!!! Haha, I love it. Johnny’s not staying with me but he is my BROTHER! Like I’ve said a thousand times, I got his back no matter what! #LOVE #gigem @jmanziel2
A photo posted by Von Miller (@vonmiller) on Apr 11, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT
Manziel previously said he was rooming with Denver Broncos star Von Miller, a fellow former Texas A&M Aggie who, like Gordon, has previously run afoul of the NFL’s drug testing policy. Miller set the record straight in an Instagram post late Monday.
“Johnny’s not staying with me but he is my BROTHER!” the Super Bowl MVP said. “Like I’ve said a thousand times, I got his back no matter what!”
Gordon also could use some allies in the league. The new Browns regime, including head coach Hue Jackson, has been tight-lipped about the status of the mega-talented 24-year-old with a lengthy history of drugs-and-drinking violations.
Gordon failed marijuana tests in college at Baylor. As a pro, he had to sit out two games in 2013 for a failed drug test, which he blamed on taking prescription cough medicine (and he still led the league in receiving yards). He was suspended for 10 games of the 2014 season (knocked down from a full-year ban) after testing positive for marijuana. He pleaded guilty to DWI in July 2014, requiring him to submit to alcohol testing under the league’s program, and after he failed a subsequent test, was banned for the whole 2015 season.
The Cleveland Browns receiver, who was suspended for the entire 2015 season, “raised a red flag” in a NFL drug test administered in March by showing traces of marijuana and a diluting substance in his system.
The level of marijuana was less than the minimum required to trigger a positive substance abuse test.
“In the state he is in [within the NFL drug program],” a source told the Associated Press, “anything above a certain amount, even if it is below the threshold, raises a red flag.”
However, ESPN reported the NFL feels Gordon needs 60-90 days of no red-flag tests before his potential reinstatement, but if he “stays clean,” he could return to the field in 2016.
During his limbo, Gordon reportedly has been living in Los Angeles with former Browns teammate Johnny Manziel, whose NFL future is in increasing peril as he continues to party away the spring in Hollywood.
Lol, you guys are HILARIOUS!!! Haha, I love it. Johnny’s not staying with me but he is my BROTHER! Like I’ve said a thousand times, I got his back no matter what! #LOVE #gigem @jmanziel2
A photo posted by Von Miller (@vonmiller) on Apr 11, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT
Manziel previously said he was rooming with Denver Broncos star Von Miller, a fellow former Texas A&M Aggie who, like Gordon, has previously run afoul of the NFL’s drug testing policy. Miller set the record straight in an Instagram post late Monday.
“Johnny’s not staying with me but he is my BROTHER!” the Super Bowl MVP said. “Like I’ve said a thousand times, I got his back no matter what!”
Gordon also could use some allies in the league. The new Browns regime, including head coach Hue Jackson, has been tight-lipped about the status of the mega-talented 24-year-old with a lengthy history of drugs-and-drinking violations.
Gordon failed marijuana tests in college at Baylor. As a pro, he had to sit out two games in 2013 for a failed drug test, which he blamed on taking prescription cough medicine (and he still led the league in receiving yards). He was suspended for 10 games of the 2014 season (knocked down from a full-year ban) after testing positive for marijuana. He pleaded guilty to DWI in July 2014, requiring him to submit to alcohol testing under the league’s program, and after he failed a subsequent test, was banned for the whole 2015 season.