DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Josh Gordon suspended two games

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Receiver Josh Gordon was suspended without pay for the first two games next season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, the second year in a row that the Cleveland Browns will be missing a key player because of a drug-related punishment.

Gordon also was fined two additional game checks on Friday. He'll miss games against the Dolphins and defending Super Bowl-champion Ravens, and is eligible to return for a game against the Vikings.

Gordon said in a statement that he used cough medicine containing codeine -- a banned substance -- while recovering from strep throat in February. The league could have given him a four-game suspension.

"The policy terms are strict about unintentional ingestion, but the NFL has not imposed the maximum punishment in light of the facts of my case," Gordon said. "Therefore, I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation. I sincerely apologize for the impact on my team, coaches, and Browns fans."

It's the second year in a row that the Browns have a key player suspended early in the season. Cornerback Joe Haden was suspended four games last season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Haden acknowledged taking the stimulant Adderall. The Browns lost their four games without him.

Gordon caught 50 passes as a rookie last season, developing into the Browns' best deep threat. He led the team with 805 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

The Browns selected him in the second round of the supplemental draft, taking a chance on a player who had major problems at Baylor. He was dismissed from the Bears after getting suspended twice for using marijuana. He transferred to Utah but didn't play there after failing another drug test.

Gordon will be able to practice with the team and play in the preseason games.

"Obviously, we are all disappointed in this news," coach Rob Chudzinski said. "In our short time with Josh, he has done everything that we've asked him to do and he has exhibited substantial improvement.

"We believe that he will continue to work diligently through training camp and the preseason. I am confident that others will step up in his absence."

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I've read on another site that whatever was in the cough meds is not on the NFL banned list, and that a player last yr. was busted for pot and he got a 2 game ban and lost 4 paychecks also. I think something is rotten in denmark

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It's really impossible for us to know for sure what a player is suspended for, because the league isn't allowed to say. The player and/or his agent can claim anything, but the league will never confirm or deny anything.

The fact that he only got 2 games does lend credence to his statement that is was a mistake, but who knows for sure?

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I think two things are inevitable at this point.

1. He will be suspended again.
2. We will be actively looking for his replacement once this happens ... if we aren't already.

I've read that Josh Gordon the player is a hard worker, both on the field and in the classroom. There are reports that contradict this, but there are way more reports that support this.

I've also read that the off the field Josh Gordon doesn't keep good company and has a ton of negative influence in his life. He is going to get suspended again.

And it sucks because he is uber talented. The problem is you can't wait around for the next suspension. You've got to act now. The FO is in a very tough spot.

Gordon will screw us over at some point when we can least afford it.

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I think two things are inevitable at this point.

1. He will be suspended again.
2. We will be actively looking for his replacement once this happens ... if we aren't already.

I've read that Josh Gordon the player is a hard worker, both on the field and in the classroom. There are reports that contradict this, but there are way more reports that support this.

I've also read that the off the field Josh Gordon doesn't keep good company and has a ton of negative influence in his life. He is going to get suspended again.

And it sucks because he is uber talented. The problem is you can't wait around for the next suspension. You've got to act now. The FO is in a very tough spot.

Gordon will screw us over at some point when we can least afford it.

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I don't like the idea of not having one of our best players (again) at the start of the year due to a suspension

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“Lean” and “Purple Dank”: Dangerous Cocktail

“Lean” is another name for “Purple Drank,” the special drug cocktail (sipping syrup) that combines codeine-based cough syrup with promethazine, lemon-lime soda, ice, and crushed up hard candies. With those ingredients mixed together in a cup, the color of the blended components turns purple or pink. The core ingredient in “Purple Drank” is the codeine-promethazine cough syrup.
To produce Lean, one must first come into possession of diverted cough syrup. Promethazine and codeine is a controlled substance under Schedule III of the Federal Controlled Substances Act. The underground market for the cough syrup is brisk. A pint of promethazine and codeine cough syrup can cost up to $400. The average street price hovers around $250. In some cases, plain codeine cough syrup is substituted when the combination medicine can not be found. But true aficionados of lean will testify that plain codeine syrup falls far short of the effects of real promethazine-codeine products. Typically, Lean is mixed in a two-liter plastic bottle of lemon-lime soda with four ounces of cough syrup. Crushed up hard candies can be added at any point to the blending process. It takes several minutes for the candies to dissolve in the liquid. The candies, along with the lemon-lime flavoring of the soda tend to offset what can be a nauseating taste of cough syrup. Poured over cracked ice or small ice cubes, the drug is consumed from small foam cups. True “Lean” fans drink their cocktail from a foam cup. Music videos and pictures of rap artists using “Lean” or “Purple Drank” always depicts the drug being consumed from foam cups.

The effects of “Purple Drank” and “Lean” are dose dependent. Sharing the beverage with others as it’s poured from a two-liter plastic bottle, it’s unlikely that a partygoer will get any more drug than what would constitute one to two doses of straight-up cough syrup. In the end though, how much any one abuser ingests is dependent on how much is shared and how many glasses of “Lean” is consumed. Users are urged to nurse their “Purple Drank.” It’s encouraged to drink the mix it in a fashion similar to that of a martini or “scotch on the rocks.” Because both codeine and promethazine are central nervous system depressants, the effects of “Lean” can be quickly observed. http://blog.globalsafetynetwork.com/?p=367

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It seems like the NFL believed his story somewhat. The usual suspension is four games but they reduced his to two games while fining him four game checks.

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Even if was codeine, I still lean on the chances that he was "sippin on some sizzurp" than a doctor prescription.

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I don't like the idea of not having one of our best players (again) at the start of the year due to a suspension

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No one LIKES it. However, it does give some of the other receivers an opportunity to grab that opening and show they can back him up when needed. In the end it could actually work out well. Time will tell....

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I understand he has a past, but he seemed to have cleaned up his act

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How is it conjecture?

He was kicked out of a school in college for failing multiple drug tests.

He went to a new university and got busted again for the same offense.

He has played in the NFL only one year and already has been suspended, meaning he once again has failed multiple drug tests.

Proof? There won't be any. The player can say anything he wants. The NFL will never say a word. With all the above evidence, I would like to see proof of his innocence. Do you have any?

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