Cleveland Browns' wide receiver Josh Gordon contested a possible sanction of one year suspension after he failed another drug test. Gordon stayed for 10 hours in the NFL office in New York last Friday as he appealed his case. The sessions will resume on Monday.
Gordon's lawyer, Maurice Suh defended his client saying that the result turned out positive due to second hand smoking.
According to Commissioner Roger Goodell "Josh is going through the process right now. I am not a part of that process. They'll make a decision based on the information that is exchanged today. At some point in time, I may have an opportunity to be involved. When I am, I look forward to meeting with him."
Goodell has been widely criticized for not giving a heavier penalty for Ray Rice after his domestic violence issue. But the Commissioner just said that every case is different and that it must be judged on its own merit.
He said "You have to deal with the facts. We have a drug program that is collectively bargained and it has a step process. It takes four incidents before you actually reach a suspension in a drug-related case. You have to respond to facts here. You have a lot of people voicing their opinions, but what you have to understand is that this is a young man (Rice) who made a terrible mistake - it's inconsistent with what we're all about."
He added "We have dealt with it in a serious manner, and we're very confident that this young man understands where he is and what he needs to do going forward."
Gordon is considered as Browns' best player and the team is crossing their finger for a favorable result after the hearing.
wide receiver Nate Burleson says "'I'm an optimistic guy. Im a glass half-full guy, so I'm always hoping and expecting the best-case scenario."
For now, it is still unsure whether Gordon will be seen during the teams' practice this weekend but they are business as usual as they prepare themselves for this coming season open.
But Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine already has a backup plan in case Gordon won't be able to play and that is to go with a receiver-by-committee approach.
Slot receiver Andrew Hawkins is confident that they would be able to manage the changes saying "'We have a bunch of hard-working guys with chips on their shoulders who are going to come out here and bust their butts every day. And I'll take that 10 times out of 10."
