Josh Gordon Reinstatement Denied, Will He Ever Play in NFL Again? [UPDATE]

Josh Gordon will not be reinstated into the NFL, according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. This is hardly a surprise given the leaks about diluted drug test samples with traces of marijuana that came yesterday. Cabot adds that Gordon can apply for reinstatement later this year; it’s not immediately clear whether this timetable differs from what Adam Schefter reported earlier today, which is that Roger Goodell and the NFL need 60-90 days of completely clean drug tests before they permit Gordon to rejoin the league.

[UPDATE: Ian Rapoport of NFL Media says that August 1st will be the date Gordon can next apply for reinstatement.]

Earlier today, Jason Lisk and I spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio, who reported that Gordon’s agent Drew Rosenhaus is pushing the NFLPA to investigate the apparent confidentiality breach. In the conversation, Florio talked about why the broader machinations involved here should be of interest to the average NFL fan: