Another sinking season for the Cleveland Browns will end with wide receiver Josh Gordon left home from the season finale at the Baltimore Ravens.
The Browns on Saturday afternoon announced that Gordon, the 2013 NFL receiving champion, has been suspended for a violation of team rules. NFL Network reported that the suspension came after Gordon missed the team's Saturday morning walkthrough.
By suspending Gordon, the Browns don't have to pay him for this week. He was suspended the season's first 10 games without pay for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. That suspension was shortened from a year after the NFL Players Association and the league approved a new drug policy in September.
Gordon won the 2013 receiving title in 14 games after serving a separate two-game suspension to start that season. He was acquired by the Browns in the second round of the 2012 supplemental draft.
The Browns are 7-8 and will start undrafted rookie Connor Shaw at quarterback Sunday vs. the Ravens. The Browns were 6-3 in November.
Gordon is under his rookie contract with the Browns through 2015. He recorded 24 catches for 303 yards in five games this season after recording 1,646 yards last year.
Wide receiver Phil Bates was elevated from the practice squad to take Gordon's spot on the roster. Previously Saturday the Browns announced the promotions of Shaw and undrafted rookie defensive tackle Jamie Meder to the active roster. Linebacker Eric Martin and tight end Ryan Taylor were released.
When he returned from his suspension earlier this season, the 23-year-old Gordon talked about wanting to make things up to the teammates who stood by him. He caught eight passes for 120 yards on Nov. 23 in his first game back against Atlanta and followed that up with seven catches for 75 yards in a loss at Buffalo.
But Gordon, whose drug suspension this year was for marijuana, has caught just nine passes in the past three games, and he has no touchdowns after scoring nine last season.
After he returned last month, Gordon said he was committed to helping the Browns win.
"I just want to control what I can control, and that's playing my hardest and working my hardest, 16 weeks next season and these last six games this season, however long I'm in Cleveland," he said. "That's just what I want to do."
He hasn't lived up to his promise.
And now the Browns may have reached a breaking point with him. They provided support for Gordon during his suspension and were hopeful that he would mature and fulfill his potential.
Because he didn't reach six games, Gordon will not be able to count this season toward free agency. He won't be eligible for unrestricted free agency when his current contract runs out after the 2015 season.
The Browns considered trading Gordon before the deadline last year but didn't want to give up on him for anything less than a first-round draft pick.
