INDIANAPOLIS _ Suspended Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon had been out of sight and out of mind since last fall.
Gordon re-entered the news, though, with the NFL scouting combine underway because his business manager, Michael Johnson, told ESPN the 2013 All-Pro selection would apply for reinstatement into the NFL on Wednesday.
Gordon has missed 43 of the past 48 games because of recurring violations of the league's substance-abuse policy. He hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since Dec. 21, 2014, and it's unknown whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will reinstate him.
He was on the brink of returning from a four-game suspension to play for the Browns on Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots when he announced Sept. 29 he would instead step away from his comeback attempt to enter inpatient rehabilitation. Gordon's third known trip to rehab lasted 30 days and began on the heels of him becoming entangled in a paternity case.
"Josh is living with me and is in the best place mentally that he has been in dating back years before entering the NFL," Johnson told ESPN. "He has taken the proper steps to treat his issues and has followed a very strict protocol that the league and our team here has laid out for him.
"He's also in the best shape of his life and feels even better than he did when he had his breakout year in 2013. This will be a special year for Josh and we are all very proud of the way he has taken the necessary steps to turn his life around."
When Gordon left the Browns in September, the organization made it clear it was done with him.
Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown said at the combine the team hasn't even considered Gordon being available to play again.
"We really haven't sat down to talk about what it would be like if he gets back in or even taking the time to understand exactly what that would look like, and I think that's a pretty complicated process at this point given, kind of, his history," Brown said. "So it would be largely speculative at best, and we've got a lot of guys to focus our attention on."
An NFL spokesman said the league had no comment on Gordon's situation. Gordon's new agent, Joby Branion, did not respond to messages seeking comment. Agent Drew Rosenhaus stopped working with Gordon several months ago.
