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The NFL has denied Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon's recent reinstatement petition, multiple outlets reported on Thursday. The league has yet to make an announcement on Gordon, who hasn't played since the 2014 season while banished under the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
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Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Gordon on a conditional basis last season but the Pro Bowl receiver checked into the rehab facility in September and put his career on hold. Gordon spent 30 days in a New Hampshire facility.
Coach Hue Jackson said then that Gordon's tenure was over in Cleveland and wished him well even though the Browns still hold his rights for at least one more season. Gordon was scheduled to rejoin the team at practice last Oct. 3 and play Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots before deciding to check into the rehab facility.
The NFL has suspended Gordon four times for violating its substance-abuse policy. The 26-year-old was suspended for two games in 2013, 10 games in 2014, all 16 games in 2015 season and the first four games this year. He was conditionally reinstated by Goodell last July with a four-game suspension to start the 2016 season.
Gordon has been suspended for 43 of his last 48 games and hasn't played in an NFL game since Dec. 21, 2014.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Gordon had 87 catches for a league-leading 1,646 yards in 2013, his second year in the league.
