Browns" Josh Gordon entering rehab: "Right decision for me"

ESPN First Take Today - Stephen A. Smith On Josh Gordon"s Future In The NFL

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon says he is entering rehab, an announcement that comes less than a week before he was set to rejoin the team.

"After careful thought and deep consideration I"ve decided that I need to step away from pursuing my return to the Browns and my football career to enter an in-patient rehabilitation facility," Gordon said in a statement released through the Browns on Thursday. "This is the right decision for me and one that I hope will enable me to gain full control of my life and continue on a path to reach my full potential as a person. I appreciate the support of the NFL, NFLPA, the Browns, my teammates, my agent and the community through this extremely challenging process."

Gordon was suspended for the entire 2015 season for multiple violations of the NFL"s substance abuse policies. He was reinstated conditionally on July 25 by commissioner Roger Goodell, though Gordon also was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.

He was eligible to return next week, ahead of Cleveland"s Week 5 matchup against the New England Patriots.

Gordon took to Twitter later Thursday, and he again thanked the NFL and the Browns.

He did not indicate why he"s seeking treatment. The NFL, in a statement, said its "concern is with Josh"s well-being" and declined further comment.

The Browns did not directly address Gordon"s future with the team, although it"s tough to see him staying in Cleveland given all that has happened off the field.

Coach Hue Jackson called it "unfortunate."

"I think Josh needs to do what"s best for Josh," he told the Browns radio network. "I think we all support him 100 percent. We want the best for him, but we understand at this time he won"t be with us, and we move forward from there."

• After announcing he"s entering rehab, Josh Gordon will not rejoin the Browns next week, and the question is whether he ever will. At this point, it"s hard to see that happening, writes Pat McManamon.

The Browns welcomed Gordon back after the 2015 suspension, but they also drafted four receivers and gave ex-quarterback Terrelle Pryor a full look at the position.

Their approach was to consider Gordon a bonus but to plan for the uncertainty if he did not return.

"We support Josh in taking this step to seek additional help and treatment," Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said in the statement. "His singular focus must be on his own health. We want nothing more than for Josh to be successful personally and professionally and will not comment on his status with the organization at this time."

Gordon"s off-field issues began in college. The talented yet troubled wideout was dismissed from the team at Baylor and Utah for failing drug tests. The Browns took him in the second round of the 2012 supplemental draft.

He was suspended 10 games in 2014 by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy, and he was suspended for the season finale by the team for missing the final walk-through the day before. He also was suspended two games in 2013 by the NFL for substance abuse policy violations. And earlier this month, an arrest warrant for Gordon was withdrawn after he complied with a year-old court order to take a DNA test in a paternity suit.

An attorney who represents the woman told Cleveland.com that the DNA test came back Thursday and showed that Gordon is the father with 99.9 percent certainty. Another court hearing is set for Nov. 8.

Despite an 0-3 start to 2016, there had been optimism for the Browns due in large part to Gordon"s expected return in Week 5. He led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in the 2013 season and looked like he was back in that form during the 2016 preseason, catching two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in his debut.

Multiple teams reportedly inquired with Cleveland about a potential trade for the wideout late this summer, but the Browns rebuffed them, saying they weren"t interested.

Together with Pryor, Gordon could have given Cleveland two playmakers going forward despite injuries to rookie wideout Corey Coleman and quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown.

But those plans now may never come to fruition.

Source: http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17671480/josh-gordon-cleveland-browns-entering-rehab

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Josh Gordon a value in Fabiano"s 12-team mock

JOSH GORDON Reinstated By the NFL [Aldon Smith Allegedly Smoking Blunt in New Video]

Another day, another mock draft.

Our latest mock was a 12-team standard league that included a bunch of NFL Digital Media folks and some analysts from other sites that wanted in on the action. Much like the last mock I did, which was a 10-team PPR format, I was pleased with the final results. Jokingly, I can call this the "Suspension Squad" (a tribute to the "Suicide Squad" movie that"s coming out in August) as I was able to land both Tom Brady and Josh Gordon to a roster that has a whole lot of upside. You"ll also see the reason I continue to wait on quarterbacks and tight ends.

Enjoy.

Round 1, Pick 4: Todd Gurley, RB, Rams - The first three picks in this draft were wide receivers, so I landed Gurley at number four. I"ll take that all day long, as he"s the top overall player on my board. The Georgia product is a virtual lock to put up top-five fantasy totals among backs, as coach Jeff Fisher loves to run the football. Gurley will push for the NFL lead in rushing yards.

Round 2, Pick 21: Alshon Jeffery, WR, Bears - Motivation can be a powerful thing in sports, and Jeffery will be playing with a lot of motivation this season as the Bears decided to franchise tag him rather than sign him to a long-term extension. As a result, he"ll be singing for his supper. In the nine games he played last season, Jeffery averaged a solid 10.4 targets and just under 90 yards.

Round 3, Pick 28: Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints - Cooks started slowly last season, but he was quite the consistent contributor in the second half en route to finishing 11th in fantasy points among wide receivers. Now in his third pro campaign, he should at least duplicate the totals he produced in 2015 with veteran Drew Brees throwing him the ball. Cooks is a nice No. 2 option for this team.

Round 4, Pick 45: Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks - I admit that I"m a little worried about Rawls, who is coming back from an injured ankle and might not even see preseason work. I"m not so worried about him that I wouldn"t pick him in the fourth round in a 12-team league. If he returns and puts up numbers like he did last season, this could end up being one of the steals of this mock draft.

Round 5, Pick 52: Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots - Like Rawls, there"s some cause for concern with Edelman as he returns from multiple foot surgeries. But when I saw him sitting there in the fifth round, I had to take a chance on him. After all, I have Jeffery and Cooks ahead of him and can use Edelman as a No. 3 option. I"d expect him to be a No. 2 fantasy wideout in most 12-team formats.

Round 6, Pick 69: Jeremy Langford, RB, Bears - I have modest statistical expectations for Langford, who seems destined to end up in a backfield committee under coach John Fox. On a positive note though, he does project to start the season atop the depth chart and should lead Chicago"s backfield in touches. He"ll also serve as good depth should Rawls have any issue with his ankle ailment.

Round 7, Pick 76: Ameer Abdullah, RB, Lions - This is another example of adding depth to what is a thin running back position. Abdullah, who struggled to produce good totals as a rookie, comes in as the No. 4 runner for this team. He figures to lead the Lions in rush attempts with Joique Bell no longer in the mix, which makes him worth a roll of the dice at this spot in the mock draft.

Round 8, Pick 93: Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars - I have no illusions that Hurns can duplicate last season"s impressive totals in the yardage and touchdown categories, but he"s the No. 4 wideout on this team. In that scenario, Hurns is a nice add in a 12-team league. Remember, he finished just 0.30 fantasy points fewer than Demaryius Thomas in 2015. Anything close to that now makes him a steal.

Round 9, Pick 100: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots - Here"s where my strategy kicks in. After focusing on running backs and wideouts in the first nine rounds, I still landed Brady to be my quarterback once he comes back from a four-game suspension. I don"t know about you, but I think 12 games of Brady is better than 16 games from most NFL quarterbacks ... and he"ll be ticked off upon his return.

Round 10, Pick 117: Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers - I wanted Coby Fleener here, but he went one spot ahead of me (blast!). Gates might be long in the tooth, but how has his value not improved after the Chargers lost Ladarius Green to the Steelers? He wouldn"t be the first Hall-of-Famer caliber tight end to put up nice fantasy totals towards the end of his career either. Tony Gonzalez, anyone?

Round 11, Pick 124: Blake Bortles, QB, Jaguars - I need a quarterback for the first four weeks (until Brady returns), and Bortles was the best option on the board. With that said, Matthew Stafford, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler and Marcus Mariota were left undrafted ... so there"s no shortage of potential matchup-based starters for me to grab should I decide to bench Bortles.

Round 12, Pick 141: Julius Thomas, TE, Jaguars - Duval county residents must love this team, as I land a third member of the Jaguars in Thomas. While Gates is the starter for this squad on paper, I could use J.T. as an alternative should the veteran fail to post solid totals. A touchdown machine, Thomas has found the end zone a combined 29 times in his last 39 games. Not too bad, right?

Round 13, Pick 148: Josh Gordon, WR, Browns - So this draft happened before the news broke of Gordon"s reinstatement. I took a flier, and the flier took off to become one heck of a steal. The talented wideout, who led his position in fantasy points just a few seasons ago, should now be considered in the No. 3 or 4 receiver conversation. Of course, his presence hurts Corey Coleman"s stock.

Round 14, Pick 165: Darren Sproles, RB, Eagles - This was simply a "draft the best player on the board" pick. Sproles isn"t a spring chicken as far as running backs go, but you"d have to think he"ll find a decent role in the offense behind Ryan Mathews. Wendell Smallwood is also in the mix, but I prefer Sproles as the second runner to draft out of the Philadelphia backfield. At least for now.

Round 15, Pick 172: Chiefs defense - I didn"t draft a kicker in this mock because Adam Rank took Stephen Gostkowski in Round 5 (not a misprint), but I did take the Chiefs defense. This unit has been one of the best in terms of fantasy points over the last three seasons, finishing first in 2014 and second in 2016. If Kansas City takes a step back, however, I"ll just take to the waiver wire.

Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to @Michael_Fabiano or send a question via Facebook!

Source: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000676680/article/josh-gordon-a-value-in-fabianos-12team-mock

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