Will Josh Gordon finally play again? (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been reinstated to the NFL on a conditional basis after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell last week regarding his indefinite drug ban, the league announced Monday.
Gordon will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season and will be eligible to return to the team beginning Oct. 3. During this suspension, Gordon may participate in team meetings and other activities but may not attend or participate in practices or games.
Gordon can join the team at training camp, which starts Thursday, and participate in meetings, conditioning work and similar activities. He will be permitted to participate in all preseason activities, including practices and games.
–Peyton Manning has been cleared of allegations that he used HGH or any other performance-enhancing drugs, the NFL announced after a seven-month investigation.
Manning retired after his Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 in February.
The NFL interviewed Manning and his wife Ashley, who were “fully cooperative with the investigation,” the league said in a statement.
“Following a comprehensive seven-month investigation into allegations made in a documentary by Al-Jazeera America, the NFL found no credible evidence that Peyton Manning was provided with or used HGH or other substances prohibited by the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, it was announced today,” the statement read.
Manning was the highest-profile name linked to PEDs in the Al-Jazeera America documentary that aired in December. The report alleged that Manning was given a supply of human growth hormone in 2011 from an Indiana-based anti-aging clinic.
Manning had vehemently denied the accusations that he used HGH or PEDs during his recovery from neck surgery in 2011.
–Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is reportedly facing a four-game suspension for missing drug tests, but took to social media and said he will appeal if suspended and is confident he will win his appeal.
“I’m not going to miss games, trust me,” he posted on Instagram.
ESPN first reported on Friday that Bell, 24, faces a four-game suspension for missed drug tests. According to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, a player can miss up to two drug tests without forfeiting games, but a third missed test triggers a four-game ban. The second missed test results in a fine of two game checks, but not the ability to play in those games, according to ESPN.
–Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith, currently serving a one-year suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, might now be investigated for an online video.
A league source told ESPN’s Ed Werder the NFL will investigate whether Smith has violated the conditions required of a suspended player seeking reinstatement to the league.
An online video shows an unidentified man and woman talking about a hand-rolled cigarette. The video is archived in a Periscope account that Smith has used on multiple occasions over the past two months, according to ESPN.
Smith will be eligible to apply for reinstatement in September, 60 days before the one-year anniversary of the suspension. Any player seeking reinstatement from Smith’s level of suspension must demonstrate to the league that he has abstained from any “substances of abuse” during the period of his ban, according to the league policy.
Smith, the seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft by the 49ers, spent his first four seasons with San Francisco, where he recorded 44 sacks.
–Wide receiver Greg Jennings has announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons.
The 32-year-old Jennings said he can still physically play but has elected to move on from football.
Jennings had just 19 receptions in 16 games last season for 208 yards and one touchdown in his only season with the Miami Dolphins.
The two-time Pro Bowler finishes his career with 571 catches for 8,291 yards and 64 touchdowns.
–The NFL and the National Football League Players Association announced a new policy to enforce the league’s concussion protocol.
Under the new policy, the NFL and NFLPA will follow what’s described as a strict and fair process to investigate incidents and determine appropriate discipline.
The new policy sets forth disciplinary action against a club should a member of its medical staff or other employee fail to follow the standard concussion protocol.
Fines will range from $150,000 against the club up to the forfeiture of draft picks.
–Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Phil Loadholt plans to retire from the NFL at age 30, effectively ending the competition for the starting job at right tackle.
Andre Smith, signed as a free agent in the offseason, will work with the first team when the Vikings report to Mankato to begin training camp this week.
Loadholt, 30, was a vocal leader on the offensive line and one of the most respected players on the team.
In March, he agreed to a pay cut to remain on the roster.
–Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson plans to keep Carson Wentz near him on the sideline this season.
Asked as rookies reported with quarterbacks for the start of camp, Pederson said a redshirt year awaits the No. 2 overall pick based on the best-laid plans of the first-year head coach.
“We don’t know it will be his entire rookie year; we can’t speculate that far out,” Pederson said. “But going into the season, there is a good chance it starts that way.”
Sam Bradford enters camp as the No. 1 quarterback and Chase Daniel, a comfortable operator in Pederson’s West Coast scheme from their time together in Kansas City under former Eagles coach Andy Reid, is second on the depth chart.
–The Seattle Seahawks extended the contract of general manager John Schneider.
Schneider, who was named general manager in January 2010 and served as the team’s executive vice president since 2013, was entering the final year of his contract.
In his tenure, the Seahawks made five playoff appearances, won three NFC West crowns, two conference championships, and appeared in back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one.
–Washington Redskins linebacker Junior Galette will miss a second straight season because of an Achilles injury.
In a direct message via Twitter, Galette said he tore his right Achilles tendon during football drills Sunday.
He spent his first five seasons with the New Orleans Saints. In the 2012 and 2013 seasons, Galette recorded a combined 22 sacks and was rewarded with a four-year, $41.5 million deal in 2014.
Also, defensive back Kyshoen Jarrett was waived with a failed physical designation.
