Josh Gordon Admits He Drank Or Smoked Before Every Game With Browns

Josh Gordon had a serious problem.

You probably could infer that from reading the headlines: The Cleveland Browns wide receiver has been suspended and fined several times for failing NFL drug tests. But Gordon recently opened up about how just how deep his problem went.

In an interview with GQ’s Clay Skipper, the 26-year-old revealed he used drugs or alcohol before every NFL game he played in Cleveland.

“I’d leave the hotel early morning (on game day), go home, eat breakfast, do my little ritual, whatever it may be, some weed, some alcohol and then go to the game,” Gordon told GQ. “And then, I’d definitely be partying after every game, win or lose. Every game.”

Gordon also admitted his “ritual” of using drugs or alcohol before games dated to his college days at Baylor.

“I would have these little pre-made shots,” he said. “I used to love Grand Marnier. I could drink it down smooth. I could usually drink a lot of it. But if it wasn’t that, it might be a whiskey or something. And I would drink probably like half a glass, or a couple shots to try and warm my system up, basically. To get the motor running. That’s what I would do for games.”

Gordon essentially was, in his own words, a “highly functioning” alcoholic, drinking or smoking before every game — even during the 2013 season, when he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards despite playing just 14 games.

The veteran receiver since has gone to rehab and apparently convinced the league he’s a changed man, as he was conditionally reinstated last week and could be eligible to join the Browns in Week 13.

Gordon hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2014, missing the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspension.