Former NFL receiving champ Josh Gordon is looking to return to the league, therefore he filled out some papers which must seem increasingly familiar to him at this point: paperwork designed to apply for reinstatement to the league.
Gordon, who played in 11 games for the New England Patriots last year before undergoing a substance abuse-related suspension, missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons as well after the NFL banned him for the same reasons while on the Cleveland Browns. Gordon rejoined the Browns two years later for the 2017 season, during which he managed to catch a touchdown and rack up an admirable 335 yards during the five games he played. The next season, Cleveland traded Gordon to New England after Week 1. With Tom Brady throwing to him, Gordon enjoyed his best season since his league–leading 1,646–yard campaign by hauling in 40 catches, three of them as touchdowns, while also surpassing the 700-yard mark for receptions.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell currently holds the keys with the potential to open a door to lead Gordon back to the gridiron. Goodell issued his concerns regarding Gordon’s overall health outside the game after his suspension last December.
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Goodell stated, “The first thing is to focus on Josh himself as a young man, and what he needs to do to get his life on the right track. That’s what our focus is. We have resources supporting that, and that’s our hope.” Goodell next spoke on Gordon’s goals as he commented, “I think right now, he has had a complete focus on ‘I have to get myself all cleared in the right place before I can get back on the field.”
Gordon’s quarterback also mentioned his good wishes for Gordon going forward. When asked about an offseason catch held between Brady and Gordon, the six–time Super Bowl champ stated, “He was around and I needed someone to catch. I’ve always enjoyed playing with him and obviously, I hope everything works out for him.” Last year, Brady appeared to enjoy a strong connection with Gordon on the field, as the two provided an approach somewhat nostalgic to New England’s extremely successful Brady–to–Randy Moss attack from years prior.
With his application to once again join the NFL fraternity, Gordon appears convinced he’s ready to build things up with Brady once more and with himself as well.
