Among the details missing from the latest Josh Gordon saga: Just how did the wide receiver hurt his hamstring?
According to previous reports, Gordon suffered the injury — which kept him out of the Cleveland Browns’ Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints — late Friday night during a “promotional shoot.” The incident seemingly was the last straw for the Browns, who traded Gordon to the New England Patriots on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson provided more details about that promotional shoot, which took place in the team’s indoor fieldhouse, per Jackson’s sources.
“Gordon was granted permission by the Browns to conduct a photo shoot for his ‘Flash’ clothing line Friday evening, but instead, he was participating in the filming of what one source called a ‘hype video’ intended to be released as a social-media commercial,” Jackson wrote. “At least five other people were present as Gordon went through football-related drills, and after about 90 minutes of shooting Friday, the source said Gordon pulled up limping while running a 40-yard dash and grabbed at his hamstring.”
Per Jackson, the photo shoot started around 10 p.m. and was called off at 11:45 p.m., shortly after Gordon got hurt. Gordon then arrived 10 minutes late to Cleveland’s facility Saturday morning, missing the team’s standard meeting and instead heading to the training room, where medical staff ruled him out of Sunday’s game, according to Jackson.
The injury isn’t believed to be serious — Gordon had a successful MRI on Monday morning and possibly could play for the Patriots in Week 3, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport — but the whole ordeal led the Browns to decide “they were done trusting Gordon,” Jackson reported.
The Patriots dealt a fifth-round pick to acquire the talented wideout, so their assumed risk is low. But it appears there was a reason the 2013 Pro Bowler came at such a relative bargain.
