Josh Gordon is under contract with the New England Patriots this season after he signed his restricted free agent tender with the team, but his status remains a mystery. Not surprisingly, Bill Belichick has little interest in talking about when or if the star wide receiver might return.
Belichick was asked on Thursday if he has an update on Gordon, and he said the Patriots have “nothing to do with” Gordon’s playing status. Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal then reached out to the league for some information, but none was provided.
I asked Belichick if he had a Josh Gordon update. He said, “We have nothing to do with Josh Gordon. He's suspended. You'd have to talk to the league."
I asked the NFL if they had a Josh Gordon updated. Their response: “We do not.”
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) August 1, 2019
Gordon was suspended indefinitely toward the end of last season for another violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and there was initially some chatter that he could be banned for life this time. While it does not appear the league will go to those extreme measures, it would be a surprise if he were allowed to play in the first half of 2019.
For what it’s worth, Gordon caught passes from Tom Brady fairly recently, so the two are obviously keeping in touch. However, Gordon’s most recent violation sounded fairly serious. He could still be a long way away from being cleared.
