Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon fails alcohol test, faces another suspension

Browns WR Josh Gordon flunked another drug test and now will be subject to a one-year banishment, per league sources. More on ESPN @ 6 pm.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2015

The Cleveland Browns have been slowly stock-piling draft picks in hopes of building a championship football team. WR Josh Gordon was one of those selections, and looked to be a cornerstone for a franchise that has never reached the Super Bowl.

Gordon might not be in the long-term plans for the Browns any longer. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Gordon tested positive for alcohol. Gordon had previously been disciplined by the league when he tested positive for marijuana.

A one-year ban is the most likely punishment for Gordon. If so, this will be the latest in a long string of substance-abuse suspensions for the talented but troubled wide receiver. As Schefter reports, he missed the first two game of the 2013 season and 10 games of the 2014 season due to failed drug tests. He would have missed the entire 2014 season, but benefited from a change in the NFL rules on substance-based suspensions. But he still managed to get suspended for the last game of the season for violating team rules.

As Schefter reports, marijuana was Gordon's ticket into the NFL, as his suspension from the Baylor football team for marijuana use led him to declare for the NFL draft.

As Gordon's availability for the 2015 NFL season remains very much in doubt, it becomes yet another concern for a Browns team in turmoil, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, where their offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, quit after only one year on the job, and the Johnny Manziel circus is still in town.