Josh Gordon Comments on NFL Suspension, Robert Griffin III and More

Actions speak louder than words, but Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon sounded like a changed man Thursday when he addressed the media for the first time since his NFL reinstatement. 

"I definitely think I'm a different person. In the past, I was a selfish player," Gordon said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. 

Gordon, 25, was reinstated by the NFL on Monday after being suspended for the entire 2015 season because of repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy. He will serve a four-game suspension to begin 2016.

Gordon's career has been mired by substance issues—specifically marijuana and alcohol. The talented pass-catcher was kicked off the Baylor football team in 2011 for failed drug tests and sat out for the entire season before the Browns picked him in the 2012 supplemental draft. A promising rookie campaign led to a breakout 2013, with Gordon posting 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.

But his drug problem had already reared its head. He was suspended for the first two games of 2013 for failed tests, missed the first 10 contests in 2014 and received a season-long suspension in 2015. Disciplinary issues have cost Gordon 29 of 64 regular-season games since he entered the NFL.

“He’s going to have to be accountable to what he needs to do first and foremost. We understand the league has expectations for him and we do too, and we shared those with him,” head coach Hue Jackson said Thursday, per Patrick Maks of the Browns' official website.

Gordon went out of his way to compliment the coaching staff and organization for welcoming him back, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:

"

I was grateful to be back here. [The Browns] definitely have things headed in the right direction. I have yet to see an organization look this good.

...I have a great support staff here, more so than I’ve ever felt before. And it plays a part on both sides. Me wanting to give in to that support and allow them to help me and me wanting to be helped, as opposed to before, me trying to be selfish and do things on my own.

"

Gordon could be catching passes from a familiar face in Robert Griffin III, his former teammate at Baylor. The two have lockers next to each other, which Gordon said was not by accident, per Ulrich:

"

He's the reason why I committed to Baylor in 2009. That's one of my best friends. It's not a mistake that my locker is next to his. He looks out for me. That's part of my support staff that I was mentioning—guys I know I can lean on and count on. I know he's a big brother in that regard. And as much as I need him, everybody else in this building needs him just as much.

"

Griffin is on a bit of a reclamation tour himself in Cleveland, coming off the failures of his tenure in Washington. He's the presumed favorite to win the Browns' starting quarterback job, though the team has not made an announcement.

Gordon also addressed his relationship with another quarterback with Browns ties, free agent Johnny Manziel.

"That's one of my good friends," Gordon said, per Ulrich. "I'm always going to be there to support him. ... We're definitely two different people heading down two different paths. ... But that's my friend first and foremost. ... I'll definitely be there for him regardless of the media."

The Browns released Manziel, 23, in March after two years of poor play and off-field incidents. He was suspended for four games in June for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

Gordon and Manziel were spotted together at Coachella in April, per TMZ.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.