Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon is being conditionally reinstated, the NFL announced Friday evening. The 28-year-old is allowed to rejoin his New England teammates Sunday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Gordon is allowed to attend the team’s preseason game Thursday, Aug. 22 versus the Carolina Panthers, but that the WR is not allowed to participate.
Schefter shared a statement from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in which Goodell said, “We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally. Everyone shares in that trust and hope and will continue to support him to every extent possible. But as Josh acknowledged, ultimately his success is up to him.”
Gordon was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Patriots last September, then was suspended Dec. 20 for violation of the terms of his reinstatement under the league’s substance-abuse policy. He missed the final two regular-season games of the season as well as all three playoff games.
In seven years in Cleveland, Gordon played four seasons. He was first suspended after being arrested on a DWI charge in 2014. The 2014-2017 seasons were all either abbreviated or Gordon was absent from the field completely because of substance abuse policy violations.
