Nov 25, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon (10) runs with the ball against the New York Jets during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
The New England Patriots had an extensive plan in place to help troubled wide receiver Josh Gordon avoid the suspension that ended his season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The NFL on Thursday suspended Gordon, hours after he announced that he planned to step away from football indefinitely to address his mental health.
He was returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list indefinitely for violating terms of his reinstatement from a ban for substance abuse.
But while the Patriots had assigned personnel to be with Gordon at all times to avoid such an incident, Schefter reported, he might have somehow eluded security during the team’s bye week in mid-November.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, however, said Sunday that Gordon had multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy and that his suspension was for “more than marijuana.”
Gordon, 27, was suspended the entire 2015 season, one year after serving a two-game suspension. He was suspended for four games in 2016 but missed the entire season when he entered a rehab facility, then applied for reinstatement in 2017 and returned in Week 13. Entering this season, he had missed more than three full seasons’ worth of games in his career for reasons related to substance abuse.
The Patriots acquired him from Cleveland earlier this season. In 11 games in New England, he caught 40 passes for 720 yards with three touchdowns.
—Field Level Media