Josh Gordon Suspended Indefinitely for Substance-Abuse Violation

New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon has been suspended indefinitely and placed on the NFL's Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list for "violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Earlier on Thursday, Gordon said in a statement on Twitter that he was stepping away from football to address his mental health.

"I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level," he wrote. "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."

As Schefter noted, Gordon has now been suspended five times by the NFL throughout his career:

Tom Pelissero of NFL.com added that Gordon "remained in Stage 3 of the substance abuse policy, so my understanding is this isn't a minimum one-year banishment. Indefinite means indefinite. There is no timeline."

It's possible, in other words, that the 27-year-old Gordon never plays in the NFL again. 

When Gordon was on the field, he was generally dynamic, registering 220 catches for 3,826 yards and 19 touchdowns in 52 games. Over a 16-game season, those totals would average to 67 catches for 1,177 yards and five touchdowns, solid numbers.

But at his peak in 2013, Gordon was amazing, catching 87 passes for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. But Gordon played in just five games in 2014, missed the entirety of the 2015-16 seasons and appeared in just five games last year.

This season, he played in one game with the Browns before he was traded to the Patriots for a fifth-round pick. In 10 games with the Patriots he notched 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns. 

In his absence, Tom Brady and the team's offense will rely more heavily on playmakers in the passing game like wideouts Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson, alongside tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back James White.