All-Pro WR Gordon says he felt alienated by some in Browns organization

By Mary Kay Cabot

Northeast Ohio Media Group

CLEVELAND

All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon told his good friend Nate Burleson in an interview for NFL Network that he’s felt alienated by some of his former friends in the Browns organization since being suspended again for violating the substance-abuse policy.

“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 says. “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 (than) 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.”

Gordon opened up to Burleson because the two became friends when Burleson was with the Browns from April until he was cut Aug. 30. The quote is an excerpt from that interview, which will air at 9 a.m. on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning.

Gordon returned to the field in Atlanta following his 10-game suspension, and caught eight of his 16 targets for 120 yards. But two passes intended for him in the final five minutes were picked off, including one in the back of the end zone by Desmond Trufant that he didn’t fight hard enough to catch or prevent Trufant from swiping.

In an interview Tuesday with ESPN’s Mike and Mike, coach Mike Pettine acknowledged that Gordon needs to step it up on some of those plays.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody just make it look so effortless, but he’s a guy that he still knows he’s got to get some things cleaned up and when there’s some 50-50 balls down the field, we’re going to work on having him go attack the ball a little bit more,’’ said Pettine. “But we know it and he knows it as well that there are things he needs to improve on, but we couldn’t have asked for a better start for him coming off of his suspension.’’

Gordon acknowledged that being back with the Browns “means the world’’ to him and that it’s “what I live for and what I work for.’’

He stressed that he’s on a mission to help get the Browns into the playoffs this season.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam spoke to Gordon in the locker room after the 26-24 victory over the Falcons. Haslam has been supportive of Gordon throughout his ordeal and occasionally embraced him at training camp.

In the days leading up to the game, Gordon’s teammates praised him and expressed their excitement for having him back.

The only indication that the Browns were preceding with caution on Gordon was an interview last month with general manager Ray Farmer, who stressed that Gordon would have show he fits in with what the Browns are trying to do and that they wouldn’t upset the applecart to accommodate him.

“Do you disrupt what you do offensively just to make sure that you throw the ball to Josh Gordon?’’ Farmer said. “I don’t know if that’s really the right way to operate. Is he a phenomenal talent? Sure I’d tell you that he is a talented young man and he can do a lot of good things.

“But do you kind of disrupt what you are to just make sure that one person gets the ball? I think that teams win. Talent doesn’t. It’s really about building a team and people have to find a way to fit into the team and I think that’s what we’re looking for here is a championship-level team.’’

He added that “there’s no slight on Josh. There’s no intimation that I said that he was suspect or he wasn’t doing anything that he was asked to do. This is more of everybody that comes through our football team, it’s not based on talent, it’s based upon can you fit into what we’re going to do short and long term.”

Gordon said he agreed with Farmer that he has to prove himself all over again to a new staff and some new teammates.