New ban for Josh Gordon after what NFL calls another violation of substance abuse policy

Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon announced Thursday morning via Twitter he is stepping away from the game for an undetermined period of time to focus on his mental health.

Gordon, in his first season in New England, posted the following statement: “I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level. I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health. I would like to thank Coach Belichick, Mr. Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support. I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path getting back to 100%.”

Soon after, the Patriots released the following statement: “We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his heath. His attempt to do so is a private and personal matter, which we intend to respect.”

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Gordon is facing another indefinite suspension for violating terms of his reinstatement under the substance abuse policy. However, Gordon did not address that in his post.

UPDATE, 3:09 p.m.: The league issued the following statement on Gordon -- “Effective today, Josh Gordon has been returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.”

The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder had 40 catches for 720 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games this year with the Patriots.

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Gordon, who was at practice on Wednesday, has been up front when it comes to his struggles around mental health and sobriety over the last few years. He’s faced numerous suspensions for failed tests (he missed all of the 2016 and 2017 seasons), but welcomed a chance to start fresh with the Patriots earlier this season. He had done a very good job going from a guy who was a bit of a wildcard at the start of the year to someone who had grown into a fully-formed part of the New England passing game, something we detailed at great length here.

“I’m pulling like hell for him, on a lot of levels,” Gordon’s high school coach Tom Nolen told BostonSportsJournal.com earlier this month. “One, you hate to see a talent like that get wasted. I mean, he walked into the league and he led the league in receptions. I mean, goddamn, there are some pretty good players in that league, and for him to do it on a lousy team like that one … I mean, it wasn’t like he had (Drew) Brees throwing him the football.

“And two, on a personal level, you hope he can continue to get his life straightened out. He has a chance to be set for life if he keeps playing like this, to take care of himself and his family and brother.”

There’s been no announcement regarding his future other than his cryptic statement that he’s stepping away “for a bit.” However, it would appear Gordon’s announcement, combined with the news of another violation, would at the very least end his 2018 season, a sad conclusion for a guy who spoke passionately earlier this month about getting a chance to play in games that matter — “Patriot football,” he called it. A restricted free agent when it comes to 2019, it also casts his future in doubt when it comes to the next stage of his career.

Not to minimize the real-world gravity of the situation regarding Gordon, but from an on-field perspective moving forward, the Patriots’ passing game figures to shift a bit with his removal, who led the team with an average of 18 yards per catch through 11 games. New England will likely move to relying on the likes of Phillip Dorsett (27 catches, 256 yards, 9.5 yards per catch) and Chris Hogan (29 catches, 468 yards, 16.1 yards per catch) as more as vertical threats, with an occasional dash of Cordarrelle Patterson (20 catches, 244 yards, 12.2 yards per catch) as a speed option.

And as was the case prior to Gordon’s ascendency in the New England offense, James White will again figure to become one of the primary targets in the passing game. The back, who has seen has production dip a bit over the last two weeks, isn’t necessarily a deep threat like Gordon, but he leads the team with 81 catches and his second with 699 receiving yards.

More on this story as it develops...