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Pats now look for a new plan without Gordon

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Dec 21, 2018

Staff file photo by TOM KING Patriots receiver Josh Gordon, suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Thursday, addresses the media after a game earlier this season.

Chris Hogan, Cordarelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett suddenly may have more prominent roles in the New England Patriots offense.

That’s because time ran out Thursday on the team’s Josh Gordon experiment after the news Thursday that

Gordon first was taking a leave for mental health reasons but later that he was officially placed on the NFL’s Commissioner’s Reserve/Suspended List indefinitely for allegedly violating the terms of his most recent reinstatement for substance abuse violations.

The league statement issued Thursday reads “Effective today, Josh Gordon has been returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended List for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.”

Either way, it’s almost a definite the Patriots will not have Gordon for the rest of the season, and perhaps never again. The gamble wasn’t too great back in September – a fifth round pick – and paid off in terms of 40 receptions for 720 yards and three TDs. But it also limited the playing time of Phillip Dorsett, who likely now has to jump back into a more prominent role. Dorsett has not played in more than 16 snaps since Week Five.

“I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the hightest level,” Gordon said in a statement tweeted out of Thursday morning. “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 organzation 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 percent.”

That path could result in a dead end in terms of playing again. Gordon has now been suspended five times by the NFL or his former employer, the Cleveland Browns: two games n 2013 for substance abuse violation, for 10 games in 2014 for the same violation (originally a full season but later reduced), one more game for team rules in 2014, and then an indefinite substance abuse suspension in 2015 that also forced him to miss four games in 2016.

He held off returning to the Browns until late in training camp this summer for treatment reasons, but the clock ran out in Cleveland after he showed up hurt after doing a photo shoot late in the second week of the season. Then the Patriots traded for him, getting Gordon and a seventh rounder for a fifth round pick.

The Patriots, who by rule can’t comment on any suspension linked to substance abuse violations, also issued a statement saying “We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his health. His attemp to do so is aprivate and personal matter, which we intend to respect.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke on Friday, saying he’s had numerous conversations with Gordon during the time he was with the team, including on Thursday.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said. “Personally I wish him the very best as we all do on this team. … It’s a private matter. We hope he’s able to deal with it successfully. … We’ve moved on to Buffalo.”

Reports have speculated that Gordon knew this was coming for awhile, as the league wouldn’t have announced his suspension until after the appeal process was exhausted. Gordon’s aftercare after his latest reinstatement is reportedly provided by a medical team agreed on by the league and the NFLPA, and that medical group determines any violations, etc.

Ironically, the NFL Network reported that Gordon would be benched for part of the Oct.29 Monday Night game at Buffalo – this Sunday’s opponent at Gillette Stadium – for being late to a meeting or practice. He wasn’t, and the issue was more or less side stepped.

The Patriots did a lot since acquiring him to try to make Gordon feel as comfortable as possible, reportedly with special handlers and putting his locker next to quarterback Tom Brady’s. He reportedly lived in Foxborough, and postgame interviews were limited to three or four questions at most, often after home games in a press conference setting rather than at his locker. And, he was up at the podium whether he was in a big factor in the game or not. He often was, as his 18 yards per catch average since Week Four is second in the league. Last Sunday was the first time in a while he had no post-game presser. He also was targeted 16 times on third down in his 11 games, with seven catches for six first downs.

So now the focus is on Dorsett (27 catches for 256 yards and two TDs), Patterson (20 for 244 and three TDs) and Chris Hogan (29 for 468 and also three TDs) in terms of Brady targets behind Julian Edelman, back James White and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The players, obviously, say their concern is for Gordon.

“First and foremost our prayers are with Josh and our concerns are with him, what he’s dealing with whatever that may be,” Patriots captain Matt Slater said. “I think we have a tendency to be so infatuated with what’s going on on the football field, as players, as media members, that we lose sight on what’s going on with the man, sometimes.

“Your number one concern is with him as a man. I’m thankful for the approach he took here, how he was as a teammate. … The number one concern is you want to see him be fine, be OK.”

Belichick said the Patriots will adjust.

“We have a lot of good players, a lot of people who have contributed and performed well for us,” Belichick said. “We have a lot of confidence in them, the whole team.”

As for the difficulty of getting the Gordon news in Week 16, Belichick said, “It is what it is.” And, asked whether the team will continue to work with Gordon on his issues or part ways, Belichick said, “We’re going to get ready for Buffalo and play Buffalo on Sunday.”

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