We learned on Tuesday that wide receiver Josh Gordon’s application for reinstatement from his suspension has been denied by the league.
Gordon will be permitted to reapply for reinstatement on August 1, although there’s no guarantee that things will go any better on that attempt. Based on the timeline that led to the initial ruling, the Browns will have to wait to find out if that bid is successful, which is why Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown said Wednesday that the team is operating under the assumption that they won’t have Gordon in the lineup.
“Organizationally we’re focused on the 65 or so players on our roster right now,” Brown said on Sirius XM NFL Radio with Bob Papa and Solomon Wilcots. “Once Josh was suspended we, organizationally, set our mind frame to not counting on him coming back. I think that’s the only healthy way to operate.”
Brown said that the team would have a discussion about how Gordon might fit on the roster if and when he is reinstated, but the team has little choice but to move on with the mindset that Gordon won’t be a member of the team in 2016.
