While Josh Gordon is gone from Patriots' locker room, ex-mates say he's not forgotten

ATLANTA — Josh Gordon decided to “step away” from football on December 20, leaving after spending 11 memorable games with the Patriots. And even though he hasn’t been with the team since late December, on Tuesday, his former teammates readily acknowledge they wouldn’t have made it this far if they didn’t have Gordon’s contributions.

“He helped us win a lot of games this year,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said of Gordon, who had 40 catches for 720 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games with New England before his December suspension. “He did a lot of great things.”

They also admit that while they miss Gordon’s contributions on the field, that feeling pales in comparison when stacked against their emotions for Gordon as an individual. Those feelings continue to tug at them, even on the verge of a Super Bowl title.


“I think the toughest thing for our group? We want to see him be healthy,” Slater said of Gordon. “We want to see him do well off the football field as a man. That’s kind of what we’re more concerned with, over everything. Ultimately, he’s still part of what we do. We think of him often. We pray for him all the time. And we want to see him be successful in life.”

“I don’t think guys ever thought to the extent of, ‘Man, we’re losing out on a good player or an important part of our team.’ It was ‘I hope JG is all right. I hope he can figure this thing out,’” defensive back Jason McCourty said, recalling his emotions when word of Gordon’s suspension came down.

“There are a lot of things that are a lot bigger than football,” he added, “and sometimes, in the midst of it, we get caught up because of all the money that’s made and all the attention that’s paid with the media and everybody who’s is always into sports. But at the end of the day, who we are as men off the field and what we’re dealing with is more important.”

Gordon, who is now reportedly part of an inpatient program in Florida, had a remarkable year. The 27-year-old, who has battled substance abuse and mental health issues, was acquired from Cleveland in a September swap that included draft picks. Less than two weeks later, he was on the field catching passes against the Dolphins. For a team that was looking for help at wide receiver, he eventually grew into a sizable role on offense, catching five or more passes in four games, and going to 100-plus yards on a pair of occasions.

“Josh was a great teammate,” said fellow receiver Chris Hogan. “He worked really hard from the second he got there — you could tell how hard he wanted to be a part of it and how much he enjoyed playing this game. I just remember being surprised the week he was there, he had already learned half our offense and the play-calls. That just blew me away. He was there early and stayed late just so he could learn the offense and try and make plays for us.

“When he was able to get out there, he was a playmaker. Tommy and all of our offense definitely looked to him to make big plays, and he did for a lot of weeks. It stinks he’s not here with us, because he was such a big part of this team. We loved to have him in the locker room. He really was a great teammate.”