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PJ Hairston says he switched cars with Josh Gordon after first meeting him

July 11, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

How is it that Josh Gordon was driving a car that was registered to Charlotte Hornets rookie P.J. Hairston at the time of his DWI arrest last weekend? Gordon and Hairston met by chance in a grocery store parking lot (for the first time in their lives) and decided to swap cars, of course. At least, that’s what Hairston is selling.

Hairston told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that he bumped into Gordon at a grocery store in Chapel Hill last Friday night. After a quick introduction and an exchange of phone numbers, Hairston claims he let the Cleveland Browns receiver borrow his Cadillac.

“Me and Josh Gordon met at the Fresh Market in Chapel Hill,” Hairston explained. “I walked there to get food and happened to run into him in there. I am a football fan so I knew who he was. Right away, we started talking about football, basketball and we walked outside.

“He saw my car and asked me ‘What are you doing?’ He asked if I minded if we switched cars and we exchanged numbers and he was going to drive my car that night and bring it back to me. I said OK, and we switched cars. The rest of that is history.”

And that was that. Hairston didn’t know Gordon any better than his fantasy football owners know him, but he figured there was no harm is letting a stranger borrow his car. Of course, Gordon was later bailed out by convicted felon Haydn “Fats” Thomas — the guy who allegedly loaned Hairston the car that got him in trouble at UNC. That was all part of the incredible coincidence.

“Once I realized that he had connections with people that got me in trouble in the past, I figured it would probably be a problem,” Hairston added.

I don’t even know what Hairston is trying to get us to believe. Is he trying to say Gordon and “Fats” conned him into a chance meeting with Gordon that would result in Hairston lending out his car? Hairston’s story is so ridiculous it’s almost laughable.

H/T Deadspin

Filed Under: Basketball, Featured Stories, Football Tagged With: Josh Gordon, PJ Hairston

Report: Josh Gordon driving PJ Hairston’s car at time of DWI arrest

July 7, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio 1 Comment

While Charlotte Hornets first-round draft pick P.J. Hairston was off allegedly punching a 17-year-old in the face during a YMCA pick-up basketball game this weekend, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was getting arrested for driving while impaired in Hairston’s car. Well, Hairston’s incident happened on Sunday and Gordon’s on Saturday, but you get the point.

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com reported on Monday that the 2015 GMC Yukon that was being driven by Gordon at the time of his arrest is registered to Samuel Peterson Hairston Jr., which is P.J. Hairston’s full legal name.

In addition, the man who posted Gordon’s $500 bond was Haydn “Fats” Thomas, a convicted felon who allegedly loaned Hairston the car he was driving last year when he was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and driving without a license. Hairston did not play for UNC all of last season due to his legal issues.

Did you follow all that? Simply put, it appears that Gordon and Hairston — two professional athletes who have had numerous problems off the court — run with the same inner circle. It sounds like they both need to get away from it.

Filed Under: Basketball, Football Tagged With: Josh Gordon, PJ Hairston

Josh Gordon arrested for DWI

July 5, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was arrested for driving while impaired on Saturday morning. Matt Anderson of WKYC first reported the arrest, which took place at around 4:00 a.m. in North Carolina.

While it is unclear if Gordon was drinking or under the influence of drugs, Raleigh police captain Tommy Klein told Adam Schefter that Gordon appeared “appreciably impaired.”

Where do we even begin with this one? Gordon, who emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL last season, is already facing a potential season-long suspension for a second failed marijuana test back in May. After word of the arrest surfaced, former Browns linebacker D’Qwell Jackson wrote on Twitter that Gordon needs serious help from those close to him.

If you're close to Josh Gordon please help this kid, it's not about football anymore it's about picking up the pieces of his life.

— D'Qwell Jackson (@DQ52) July 5, 2014

Earlier this week, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that sources close to Gordon are concerned he will have a “hard time making it back into the NFL” if he is suspended for a full season. The 23-year-old’s latest arrest has his future looking even more grim.

Photo: Twitter/Matt Anderson

Filed Under: Football, Headlines, Police Blotter Tagged With: Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon has been dogging it in practice

June 11, 2014 By Steve DelVecchio Leave a Comment

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is still waiting to see if he will be suspended for the entire 2014 season after failing yet another drug test. In the meantime, he is loafing it during team workouts.

On Tuesday, Browns head coach Mike Pettine admitted that he has had to speak to Gordon about not hustling during practice.

“It is something we’ve talked about and from what I understand he’s made some improvement, but it is a work in progress,” Pettine said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “I’m a big believer in quality of reps versus quantity of reps. If I’m a player and I know that I’m going to be out there for 40 full-speed team snaps I may have a tendency to pace myself.

“There still needs to be improvement there but we’re aware of it.”

Pettine also noted that awaiting word on Gordon’s potential suspension is throwing a kink in Cleveland’s offseason plans.

“There’s certainly a level of frustration because we’ve known the news for so long,” he said. “It’s just a holding pattern and I understand that the league has a process that they have to go through and there’s other things that they’re dealing with and we respect that. But at the same time it is difficult because it really will affect our preparation for the season.”

As Cabot pointed out, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bedard noted Gordon’s tendency to dog it during practice last summer, so this is a recurring theme. Gordon was also suspended for the first two games of last season because of a positive marijuana test, and he was kicked off the team at Baylor after multiple failed drug tests.

Simply put, it sounds like Gordon has become a distraction. Not only does the team not know when it will be without its best offensive weapon, but Gordon is making life difficult on his teammates and coaches by giving less than 100%. Practicing hard would be the best thing he can do right now to help the team prepare.

H/T Pro Football Talk

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Josh Gordon

Cris Carter: Using drugs the most important thing to Josh Gordon

June 3, 2014 By Gordon Dixon 2 Comments

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon broke out in a big way in 2013. In his second season, Gordon hauled in 87 passes led the NFL in receiving yards (1,646) despite playing in just 14 games.

Expectations for 2014 will be tempered with the 23-year-old facing a potentially season-long suspension as a result of a failed drug test.

Immense talent aside, Gordon has had a history of substance related issues. While in college at Baylor, he was was suspended indefinitely after testing positive for marijuana and later transferred out of the program. Gordon was also suspended for the Browns’ first two games of last season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

Most people remember Hall of Famer Cris Carter for his time with the Minnesota Vikings, but that opportunity came because of a missed one with the Philadelphia Eagles. Drug and alcohol abuse led to his release from the team after three seasons.

Rarely one to bite his tongue, Carter some interesting comments recently about Josh Gordon and his documented substance issues.

“It’s fairly obvious that (using substances) is more important to him than anything else,” the former Ohio State star told cleveland.com. “It’s always been very, very important to him. It’s well-documented that it’s been primary since early college. Maybe it even goes back to early high school.”

“I’d much rather help an undrafted free agent that has a problem and he says I’ve got a problem and he wants some help, then help a guy who’s first-team All-Pro (and hasn’t reached out),” said Carter.

Carter went on to talk about the impact hitting rock bottom (being cut by the Eagles) had on him and how it served as turning point. Perhaps a season-long suspension would cause a similar effect for Josh Gordon, but for that we will have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, if there’s someone qualified to speak on this subject, it’s Cris Carter.

H/T Eye On Football

Filed Under: Football Tagged With: Cris Carter, Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon cited for speeding; passenger had marijuana

May 30, 2014 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

This Josh Gordon character is a real winner, I tell you.

The Cleveland Browns wide receiver, who is facing a suspension from the league after reportedly failing another drug test, was cited for speeding over Memorial Day weekend, WKYC reports.

WKYC says Gordon’s Mercedes SUV was clocked going 74 in a 60-mph zone on Sunday night. Marijuana was also found in the car, but luckily for Gordon, one of his boys pulled off a true homie move and claimed it was his.

Gordon essentially has proven that he is addicted to the ganja. He was suspended two games at the start of last season because of a drug violation. He was kicked off Baylor’s team in college for multiple positive drug tests. And then he transferred to Utah but never played, also because he reportedly failed drug tests there, too.

Gordon isn’t doing a lot right these days, but at least we’ll give him credit for making sure he has a weed carrier in his entourage.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Football, Police Blotter Tagged With: Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon reportedly facing season-long suspension for positive marijuana test

May 9, 2014 By Larry Brown 1 Comment

Cleveland Browns star receiver Josh Gordon is facing a season-long suspension for a second failed drug test, according to a report.

ESPN reports that Gordon tested positive for marijuana last month and was informed he is facing a suspension for the entire season.

Gordon was suspended two games last season and fined two additional game checks for a first violation, which was for using cough syrup with codeine aka purple drank or sizzurp.

Gordon was the big offensive playmaker for the Browns last season. Despite playing in just 14 games, Gordon led the league with 1,646 receiving yards.

Gordon had multiple failed drug tests in college and was kicked off the team at Baylor because of it. He transferred to Utah but failed a drug test there and never played. Because of his drug problems, he ended up in the supplemental draft, which is where the Browns took him.

You can’t say they didn’t see this one coming. And if we’re talking about Todd McShay’s terminology, then Gordon has the second “D” — dependency issues with weed.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Football Tagged With: Josh Gordon