It's been a long time since that magical 2013 season when Josh Gordon was hauling in highlight reel play after highlight reel play, keeping the Cleveland Browns fanbase and the entire NFL-viewing world on the edge of their seats on a weekly basis. As of now, Gordon remains suspended after a litany of off-the-field issues involving drugs, drinking and failed drug tests. He reportedly failed another drug test earlier this offseason, an incident that, combined with the rest of his rap sheet, would seem to put the chances of his returning to the NFL in 2016 at almost zero.
Not so, says Gordon's agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
"I think Josh is going to be back this year," Rosenhaus said. "I really believe that. There's no question that this has been a tough year for Josh being away from the NFL. The leak to the media about a 'positive test' was very frustrating and painful for him. With all that being said, we're in a position right now where we're battling to prevent that from happening again."
Per Rosenhaus, Gordon has been administered "dozens if not hundreds" of drug tests - presumably tests that he's passed - since his year-long suspension was first announced in February of last year.
"This is a young man that'll be back in the NFL," Rosenhaus continued. "He will have another shot at being reinstated before the start of the season and I'm confident between now and then that he'll take the necessary steps to be reinstated."
Now, whether or not Gordon has been subjected to "dozens if not hundreds" of drug tests doesn't really matter and Rosenhaus, the slickest pile of hair and Gucci knockoff shades the NFL has ever seen, surely knows that.
But what he wants fans of the Browns and the NFL to know is that Gordon's been a good boy for, well, most of the time. Pretty much all of the time. OK, some of the time, that he's been away from the league.
And that's commendable. Gordon is a young guy with immense talent playing a game that draws billions in revenue - really, he should be allowed an alcoholic beverage or a toke here or there if he wants it. And the league's mandate that players like Gordon stay away from the team while suspended seems misguided at best, an invitation for further trouble at worst.
But that's beside the point.
The league has rules. In order to be paid millions of dollars to play a child's game, Gordon has to follow those rules.
The fact that he, like every other young person his age, likes to indulge every once in a while isn't the problem. That he can't seem to keep himself away from those indulgences, even when his livelihood is at stake, is.
Because of sheer ability, Rosenhaus is probably right. Gordon will be back in the league - at some point. Gordon has to wait until at least August 1 to apply for reinstatement after his most recent failed test, something that's by no means a certainty.
And while Rosenhaus may be confident that Gordon can keep his nose clean between now and then, the rest of the league and a good portion of the Browns fanbase probably remains skeptical that Gordon will, like Johnny Manziel, ever be anything but another tease, another shadow of what could have been for football in Cleveland.
