The Cleveland Browns decided to finally part ways with Josh Gordon this weekend after standing behind him since 2012. One of the reasons they decided to move on was because he had reportedly broken the team’s trust, a notion at which Gordon scoffed.
Now we have a clearer picture of how Gordon broke the team’s trust.
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson reported in great detail about the promotional shoot Gordon did that led to his hamstring injury.
Here’s what happened, according to Jackson:
Gordon was granted permission by the Browns to conduct a photo shoot for his “Flash” clothing line Friday evening, but instead, he was participating in the filming of what one source called a “hype video” intended to be released as a social-media commercial. At least five other people were present as Gordon went through football-related drills, and after about 90 minutes of shooting Friday, the source said Gordon pulled up limping while running a 40-yard dash and grabbed at his hamstring.
When Gordon showed up at the team’s facility on Saturday, he was said to have been 10 minutes late for a team meeting and went to the training room. The trainers declared him out for Sunday due to the hamstring injury.
This explains how Gordon was suddenly declared out on Saturday after going through the whole week of practice without appearing on the injury report. Gordon dealt with a hamstring injury before the regular season and was supposed to be on a limited snap count for the opener, though he ultimately played nearly 70 snaps. Still, it sounds like Gordon got hurt on his own time after misleading the team about what sort of activity he sought to do.
The Patriots ended up trading for Gordon on Monday, and he reportedly may be ready to play in Week 3.
You may question whether this was a reasonable enough violation for the Browns to move on, but he’s had so many opportunities with them, it’s a wonder they didn’t drop him sooner.
