Getty Josh Gordon has once again been reinstated by the NFL.
The question every Seattle Seahawks fan wants to know is when Josh Gordon can once again take the field. During Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s Week 7 press conference, he noted the team is still awaiting word on Gordon from the league office.
“We really don’t know and don’t have contact to speak of,” Carroll noted, per NBC Sports. “We don’t know any more than you do at this point. We’re just waiting it out for word from the league unfortunately.”
Carroll’s comments came when the Seahawks were still linked to Antonio Brown. The Seahawks coach shot down the notion that the team’s exploration of Brown was tied to Gordon’s status.
“Those situations are not connected,” Carroll added. “They’re being handled independently.”
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The Seahawks Are ‘in the Dark’ About Gordon’s Status
With the way Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf have played, it is hard to call the wide receiver position an area of need for the Seahawks. The position is thinner than expected with Phillip Dorsett battling an injury and Gordon still not permitted to be with the team.
The Seahawks signed Gordon on September 3, but the receiver applied for reinstatement earlier in the summer. Despite Carroll’s comments, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported the Seahawks did have extra motivation to pursue Brown with Gordon’s status still up in the air.
“Seahawks’ interest in Brown came amid continued uncertainty over Gordon’s situation. From what I was told, they don’t get any updates from the NFL on what’s happening with his reinstatement bid, so they’ve been just as in the dark as everyone else as to when Gordon can play,” Henderson noted on Twitter.
As Sharp Football’s Warren Sharp pointed out, it has been more than 120 days since Gordon applied for reinstatement.
“Hey NFL: DO SOMETHING AND LET JOSH GORDON PLAY FOOTBALL, damn he submitted his reinstatement application in June and you’re supposed to make a decision within 60 days IT’S BEEN OVER 120 DAYS!!!” Sharp tweeted.
The NFL Has Not Commented on Gordon Potentially Playing in 2020
Gordon has taken a hiatus from social media but had repeatedly noted on Twitter that he had no updates about his status. According to The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell, the NFL declined to comment on Gordon’s status when the league when asked on September 3. After the Seahawks signed Gordon, Carroll noted the team did not have any indication about his future prior to their decision to bring back the receiver.
“I have been in contact with him some over the offseason just to keep track of what’s going on and all,” Carroll explained after the signing, per Pro Football Talk. “And like before and through the time that we have communicated, I’ve seen nothing but a guy who really wants to make a life of this NFL experience. He wants to do something with it in the worst way. He’s worked really hard. He worked out with our guys a lot in the offseason. They kind of keep us up on how that was going and then I would get some news reports from Josh.”
Carroll explained after the signing was announced that the league office holds Gordon in “high regard.” Yet, we are getting closer to the one-year mark when Gordon was suspended indefinitely.
“You know, he’s just done everything that he could have done,” Carroll added. “There’s been no issues, no problems. Nothing. I know people at the league office have, they know Josh pretty well and they hold him in high regard for all that he’s been through and it speaks to the character and all. Because he’s had issues, he’s had issues. But he has been a terrific young man and all of our exchanges and so you know I’m really pleased to have a chance to give him an opportunity again and give him a chance to see if he can get back in the league and get going. We’re all kind of just keeping our fingers crossed he gets a chance to play soon.”