Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon missed the first 10 games of this National Football League season thanks to his violation of the association's substance abuse policy. Now, he's been suspended again and this one could cost him millions!
Saturday, the team announced it had suspended Gordon after the third-year player missed a walkthrough preceding Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
While the latest setback for Gordon is not as appalling as, say, racking up DUIs, but the financial implications of this suspension are deep.
Consider: Gordon was in line to play six games this season, the minimum for a player to officially "accrue" a season under the collective bargaining agreement. Now he will only play five, which means his 2014 season won't count toward the four years it takes to be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
Instead of being an unrestricted free agent in 2016, Gordon will be restricted. Why's that a big deal?
From SB Nation: Typically, restricted free agents don't change teams. It's even rarer that big-name players ever do it, either. This creates a ton of bargaining power for the Browns and a situation in which Gordon may be out a significant amount of money. It's unclear what the market would look like for him given his suspensions, but he has enough talent to spark at least one bidding war that won't happen due to his pending restricted status.
So, the post-walkthrough suspension is quite the setback for Gordon, who could stand to lose millions in the spring of 2016.
The 23-year-old led the league with 1,646 receiving yards last year, and has picked up 303 more in the five games since his return.
"As a person, it gives you more patience, I would say," Gordon said after returning from his drug suspension in November. "With certain things, you've just got to be more patient. Everything takes time. Then, when the time comes around, hopefully, you get the opportunity to produce. When the time presents itself like right now, hopefully I can do that for us."
