Josh Gordon Could Win Suspension Appeal

Cleveland Browns superstar wide receiver Josh Gordon may be a victim of bad luck. That bad luck could end up weighing in his favor, though, which could potentially help him win his appeal to overturn his recent suspension.

Per ProFootballTalk.com, Gordon’s initial drug test that generated a positive result “barely” did so, and could have been a result of “bad luck”. Per the report, Gordon was summoned for a urine sample and his sample was then split into two bottles – bottle “A” and bottle “B”. Bottle A is supposedly tested first, and if it generates a positive result, the second bottle is then also tested. Apparently one bottle tested positively and the other did not, but the testing handler simply tested them in the order that did not work out beneficially for Gordon.

With Gordon’s 2014 NFL season hanging in the balance, however, it’s not completely impossible that a silly stipulation could help him overturn his season long ban. A complete reduction of his suspension isn’t actually all that likely, but the new evidence seems to help Gordon enough that it could help get his suspension reduced. In that scenario, the Browns could be looking at getting Gordon back for at least half of the season.

Gordon would still serve a pretty length suspension in this case, and would also be subject to a greater suspension if he got caught up in anything else within the next year.

Either way you look at it, Gordon is on thin ice with the league. A suspension reduction would be huge news for him and the Browns, though, and Gordon certainly is doing the right thing by exercising every avenue to try to stay on the field for 2014.

Gordon has taken the necessary steps so far to give himself the best chance at playing at least some games this year. Appealing the suspension for said reasons was the first step, while hiring the same lawyer that helped Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman avoid a four-game ban was arguably an even better step.

Gordon still faces an uphill battle against the league, but we’ll find out much more about his immediate future once the league makes a decision on Friday.