Jim Brown was walking out to Browns practice today with owner Jimmy Haslam, when they crossed paths with Josh Gordon.
Haslam reached out and embraced Gordon, and Brown hopes he’ll continue to be able to.
The Hall of Fame running back said he was concerned for the troubled wide receiver, and hopes the team can maintain a tie to him.
“We have to support him and educate him,” Brown told Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You can only do that though leadership in player engagement. . . .
“It’s about two levels: We hope he can get his life together in the right way and as a football player we hope like hell he can play [again]. “It’s definitely No. 1 first. As a human being, he’s got to get his life together.”
The Browns have said they won’t cut Gordon, despite the fact he’s facing a suspension for another failed drug test.
Asked if he though Gordon should still have access to the team in the event of a suspension, Brown said he didn’t want to discuss the league policy. But it’s clear he’s worried about Gordon.
“I’ll just say people need people,” Brown said. “We’ve got player engagement here. Through player engagement we can take advantage of alumni, take advantage of the relationships we have with each other.”
Having voices such as Brown’s would be helpful for any young player. But the Browns as an organization clearly want to help Gordon, since he has the potential to help them so much.