Gordon’s ban is amended under new policy

Browns receiver can

return to field Nov. 23

Associated Press

BEREA

Browns All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon has officially been reinstated into the NFL.

The NFL and NFL Players Association reached an agreement on a revised substance-abuse Friday, and Gordon’s seasonlong ban stemming from a positive marijuana test in the offseason has been reduced to a 10-game suspension.

Gordon has already served two-tenths of his suspension by missing the first two games of the season, so he must sit out the Browns’ next eight games, including their matchup Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. He will be eligible to play Nov. 23 when the Browns visit the Atlanta Falcons.

Gordon is now allowed to work out and attend meetings at the Browns’ headquarters. He won’t be allowed to practice until the week leading up to his first game back. The seasonlong ban permitted him to meet with his clinician at the team’s facility, but it prohibited him from working out and attending meetings.

“I’m happy that the NFLPA and NFL worked hard to agree on a new Substances of Abuse policy,” Gordon said Friday in a statement released by the NFLPA. “I’m very thankful to my union for fighting for a significant reduction in my suspension. I’m glad I can go to the facility during my suspension. I look forward to going to meetings, working out individually, and learning from my coaches and teammates. I can’t wait until game 11 to get back on the field!”

The league and union announced players serving one-year suspensions for a positive marijuana test will have their suspensions reduced to 10 games. They specifically announced Gordon “will be eligible to return after 10 games.”

“We are aware of the new NFL policy related to the reduction of Josh Gordon’s suspension to 10 games,” Browns General Manager Ray Farmer said Friday in a statement. “We will continue to support and work with him under the NFL guidelines throughout this process. Our team’s focus right now remains on preparing for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.”

Gordon avoided an additional two-game suspension under the new policies by pleading guilty Tuesday to driving while impaired July 5 in Raleigh, N.C. His court date was set for Nov. 18, but Gordon’s camp wanted the case resolved ahead of schedule, so his attorney entered a plea Tuesday to ensure he would avoid further discipline under the revised policies. The new guidelines pertaining to DWI won’t be applied retroactively.

Fortunately for Gordon and other suspended players, other parts of the new policies are retroactive. His ban would not have been cut to 10 games otherwise.

The league announced Aug. 27 Gordon would be suspended for at least the entire 2014 season because he was a repeat offender of its previous substance-abuse policy. Gordon tested positive for marijuana in the offseason. He appealed the suspension and lost.

Gordon recently told OnDeckEr.com secondhand marijuana smoke caused him to test positive for marijuana under the old rules. He said the test sample that led to his suspension measured 16 nanograms per milliliter, one ng/ml over the NFL’s previous threshold of 15 ng/ml. Under the revised policy, the threshold for a positive marijuana test is 35 ng/ml.

Gordon also served a two-game suspension and was docked four game checks last season for violating the policy. He blamed prescription cough medicine containing the banned substance codeine for triggering a failed test.

The union’s 32 player representatives, including Browns safety Johnson Bademosi, paved the way for the return of Gordon and others when they voted Sept. 12 to approve new policies for abuse of substances and performance-enhancing drugs. NFL and NFLPA negotiators finalized the performance-enhancing drug policy Wednesday and the substance-abuse policy Friday.