In a statement released by the Browns, he said he unknowingly ingested codeine that was in cough medicine prescribed for strep throat in February.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Gordon was elusive in Browns minicamp this week, but not just to the defensive backs trying to cover him.
The Browns' second-year receiver managed to slip away all three days from reporters trying to ask him about two-week-old rumors that he had a failed a drug test. On Thursday, he lowered his head, hid behind teammates and ducked into the weight room, ignoring calls of his name.
On Friday, the rumors became fact when the NFL announced that Gordon -- who failed three marijuana tests in college -- had been suspended for the first two games of the regular season and fined two additional game checks for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He'll miss the opener at home against Miami Sept. 8 and a trip to Baltimore Sept. 15.
But Gordon, who can participate in training camp and all four preseason games, apparently didn't test positive for marijuana. In a statement released by the Browns, he said he unknowingly ingested codeine that was in cough medicine prescribed for strep throat in February.
"In February, I was diagnosed with strep throat for which a doctor prescribed antibiotics and cough medicine," he said in the statement. "Apparently, the medicine I took contained codeine, which is prohibited by the NFL policy. The policy terms are strict about unintentional ingestion, but the NFL has not imposed the maximum punishment in light of the facts of my case. Therefore, I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation. I sincerely apologize for the impact on my team, coaches, and Browns fans. I look forward to working hard in training camp and pre-season, and contributing immediately when I return in week three."
The NFL is prohibited by the collective bargaining agreement from revealing what players test positive for. Players can pin it on whatever they choose. One trend occurring in the NFL, according to sources, is for players to blame a positive steroid test on Adderall, which has a less negative connotation.
Another source said some NFL players have been testing positive for codeine lately because of the Purple Drank craze, in which prescription-strength cough syrup is mixed with soda and hard candy.
But the fact that Gordon was only suspended for two games lends credence to his story that he had a prescription for the cough syrup and unwittingly violated the rules. Another positive test and he could be suspended for eight games, a source said.
Gordon, who signed a four-year, $5.3 million deal last summer that included a $3.8 million signing bonus, will be docked $148,894 -- or 4/17ths of his $632,802 base salary. But a source said the Browns also likely have language in his contract that would enable them to go after a portion of his signing bonus.
Most teams don't do it, but the Browns are most likely eligible to recoup about $136,000 -- or 4/17th of Gordon's $581,000 prorated signing bonus -- if they so choose.
The new regime has always been a little leery of Gordon due to failing the three marijuana tests in college -- two at Baylor and one at Utah -- and that he was banished by both programs. He was trying to find a school to give him a third chance when he opted to enter the supplemental draft.
At the NFL Combine in February, CEO Joe Banner admitted that the jury was still out on Gordon.
"He still has improvements he could make and there's hope that he can do that," Banner said. "He's still got to grow and work hard in order to answer that question. A top-of-the-second-round pick on a wide receiver, you would hope by the second or third year you'd have a big, big impact player."
The current regime also felt the previous crew reached for Gordon with the second-round pick. The Browns were the only team that Gordon visited in advance of the special draft. This year, the front office felt hamstrung without a second-rounder, where most of the draft's value was.
But publicly, the Browns are standing by their man, who looked so good in minicamp that Brandon Weeden declared "he has the ability to be a top three receiver in this league."
Coach Rob Chudzinski said in a statement, "Obviously we are all disappointed in this news. In our short time with Josh, he's done everything that we've asked him to do and he has exhibited substantial improvement. We believe that he'll continue to work diligently through training camp and the preseason. I'm confident that others will step up in his absence."
Despite sitting out the 2011 season at Utah, Gordon established himself as a bona fide deep threat last season, catching 50 passes for a team-high 805 yards and five TDs. He finished eighth in the NFL with a 16.1-yards per catch average. He averaged 46 yards on his five TDs.
His suspension marks the second time in two years that the Browns have lost a star player due to a drug violation. Last season, cornerback Joe Haden served a four-game ban for violating the steroid and related substances policy, saying he took Adderall.
One difference between Haden's suspension and Gordon's is that Gordon will still be eligible for the Pro Bowl because Gordon's ban is not for a performance-enhancing drug.
Friday, his former Baylor coach Art Briles, spoke positively of Gordon.
"Those other 14 games, he's going to get after somebody's butt, that's all I know," said Briles. "He's an outstanding player. My thoughts and opinions will never change. I'm a Josh Gordon believer and I think the future is extremely bright. No path to greatness is without a valley or two.
Briles, who stays in frequent contact with Gordon, said he had no idea this was coming.
"[But] I don't view this as a major setback," he said. "The guy got suspended for two games for something that he wasn't aware of. It's like you have a turf toe and you miss two weeks and you come back and get going. There's been and there will be a lot heavier sanctions involving players this year."
In an interview with The Plain Dealer the day he was drafted, Gordon vowed to stay clean and "not go back to the person I used to be. There was definitely a pattern there with the (three) failed tests, but marijuana has never had that strong of a hold on my life. I'm not an addict and I shouldn't be treated as such."
But he said he knew his actions would speak louder than his words.
"I can tell people until I'm blue in the face and there will always be naysayers that will say 'I just don't believe him, I can't trust him,'" he said. "But I know that I have no intentions or any ambition to try to go back and regress to what I was doing before -- testing positive or just being caught in a negative light."
In the off-season, the Browns added receivers Davone Bess and David Nelson, and still have a deep threat in tiny speedster Travis Benjamin.
