When the New England Patriots signed Josh Gordon, he got a very warm welcome from Tom Brady.
The Patriots put him at a locker right next to Brady and the two began to cultivate their relationship right away. Gordon has dealt with personal issues that have kept him off the field, and Brady has been able to play at an elite level, while staying out of trouble.
Gordon told reporters in the past that he respected and looked up to Brady — and that’s translated pretty well so far. Brady and Gordon paired up on Tuesday to get some work in on the field, giving hope to the idea that Gordon will play in 2019.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeff Darlington went into further detail about the relationship they have. He even mentioned that Gordon would go out to dinner with Brady and his wife Gisele.
“He recognized that Josh Gordon made the team better and recognized that he was going to need some attention,” Darlington said. “Josh Gordon was going out to dinner with Tom Brady and Gisele at times because Tom recognized that he needs to bring this guy in, foster him, make him feel like he is at home, recognizing some of the issues that Josh Gordon goes through.”
Gordon did get suspended after playing 11 games with the Patriots in 2018 — but Brady didn’t give up hope.
“While that is, in part, a guy just trying to get better, it’s also Tom Brady being a really good person, continuing to try to help out and manifest Josh Gordon … Tom Brady, to this day, really respects Josh Gordon and would love to see him live a better life,” Darlington said.
Gordon signed a restricted free agent tender this offseason to lock him up for the 2019 season, but it’s still unclear whether or not his indefinite suspension will be revoked.
Regardless of the results, it is clear that Brady will continue to mentor and be a part of Gordon’s life going forward.
