Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon said the worst part of his 10-game suspension was how some of his teammates seemingly abandoned him. After returning Sunday and having a big game, Gordon said the best part was coming back to a team on the rise.
The league's new drug policy allowed Gordon to return after just 10 games. While missing more than half the season was undoubtedly difficult to deal with, it wasn't the hardest part of the suspension.
"The lowest point of all this I think was the disassociation from a lot of friends you thought were close or you thought you were kind of cool with really not checking on you anymore, [not] hitting you up anymore, [not] wanting to hang out," Gordon told the NFL Network, via ESPN. "As far as even people in here [with the Browns]. I don't want to throw names around, but I can see it. I'm definitely really observant, so I see how people might just be more standoffish as they were before. ...
"It's kind of like a disease. People, they want to see it but they don't really want to touch it."
It didn't take long for Gordon to make up for the loss time, catching eight passes for 120 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over the Atlanta Hawks. After the win, Gordon wasn't shy about expressing what it meant to be back on the field with his teammates. But he said it was even more special returning to a team that is now 7-4 with a shot at the postseason.
"It means the world to me to be back, but not just to be back, but to be with this team,'' he said. "More than anything, this is my third year here, I've been through plenty of different coaches, owners and GMs and offenses. To finally see us get it going in the right direction means everything to me. That's what I live for and that's what I work for."
