Browns receiver Josh Gordon’s suspension will last for a full calendar year or not at all, if his appeal eventually is resolved with a ruling from hearing officer Harold Henderson. If the NFL and NFLPA get together and craft a settlement, Gordon’s suspension could last for less than a calendar year.
Even if the suspension is reduced to 15 games, that would allow Gordon to rejoin the team for the 2015 offseason. As it now stands, a full-year suspension would keep Gordon away from the team until, at the earliest, the brink of the 2015 preseason.
For the suspension to be anything other than all or nothing, an agreement has to be reached. Before an agreement can be reached, negotiations must occur. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, that hasn’t happened yet.
With three days passed since the hearing ended and a ruling required with a “reasonable time,” time is of the essence when it comes to the question of whether a settlement can be reached.