Cleveland Browns: Josh Gordon announces he’ll miss beginning of camp
By Dan Justik
With training camp beginning in only a few days, Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon announced that he will miss the beginning of camp to focus on “health and treatment plan.”
Cleveland Browns fans have been excited for training camp to open because it was a noise-free off-season for wide receiver Josh Gordon.
After multiple off-seasons of bad headlines about his substance issues off the field, Gordon has turned his life around and was prepared to play his first full season since his rookie season in 2012.
But on Monday morning, Gordon announced on Twitter that he will be missing the beginning of camp to focus on his “overall health and treatment plan.”
Many Browns fans are concerned that this may be foreshadowing worse news about the wide receiver. The thought of the uber-talented wide receiver failing another drug test and being suspended once again would be disappointing. But NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Gordon is not being suspended.
For anyone suspicious of Josh Gordon's announcement that he won't be at the start of #Browns camp, he's "absolutely not suspended," source said. Continuing to work on his issues, as Gordon said in his tweets.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 23, 2018
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Gordon was placed on the non-football list after his announcement was made. Pelissero also reported that NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said there is no timetable for Gordon’s return. But he also said they will “address the matter at the appropriate time.”
That final part of the quote leads to concern that there is much more to this story. Although no one knows what else is part of the story, it does not appear to be a good sign for the Browns.
Gordon has spent a lot of time the past few years battling his illness and trying to right the ship. After receiving treatment and getting help from former Olympic athlete Tim Montgomery, it seemed that Gordon has his life going down the right path.
After the announcement was made, Browns general manager John Dorsey released a statement, saying the team will continue to support Gordon.
Statement from WR Josh Gordon and GM John Dorsey
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) July 23, 2018
📰 » https://t.co/lXw21mrPxc pic.twitter.com/RbJF0BQ46B
With the announcement coming only a few days before the Browns open training camp, it creates suspicion about the randomness of the announcement.
There is the possibility that this has been the plan for Gordon the entire time. Instead of dealing with the treatment throughout the entire season, he may be getting his final treatment before the season in order to have a safe and clean year off the field during the season.
Next: Position battles to watch during Browns training camp
There is still plenty to be learned from this story in the coming hours. But the initial impact of this story is very concerning for the Browns organization and fan base.