Browns receiver Josh Gordon, who checked into a rehab facility after a drunk driving arrest and is suspended for the entire 2014 season for multiple failed drug tests, says he does not have a drug problem.
“Do I believe I have a drug problem? Definitely not,” Gordon told OnDecker.com, via Cleveland.com. “In this case, I was exposed to it from second-hand [smoke], and prior to I’ve been drug-free and have been staying that way – and this incident has been causing a backlash of negative attention and negative media of me being an addict or a junkie, or using drugs terribly too much, which is definitely not the case and I’d like to definitely have that out in the open and be clear with that for sure.”
Gordon said he went to rehab this summer after his arrest and learned there that he is not an addict.
“I chose to go on my own accord, my own thoughts,” he said. “I thought it would be beneficial for me to go out to Cliffside in Malibu, California, and seek out some help. . . . They made their diagnosis and said I wasn’t addicted to anything, and I didn’t have any drug problems.”
Even as Gordon holds out hope that his current suspension will be shortened, it’s worth noting that this is his second NFL suspension for a failed drug test and that he had failed drug tests in college as well. And he still faces both legal trouble and league discipline for the drunk driving incident. Whether Gordon is an addict or not, he certainly has a problem with staying away from alcohol and drugs well enough to stay out of trouble.