Hours after Josh Gordon announced he was “stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health,” the New England Patriots receiver was suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Gordon, who was traded to the Patriots from the Cleveland Browns in September, had revealed he would be taking time out in a Twitter post on Thursday.
He wrote: "I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level. I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally.
"With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health. I would like to thank Coach [Bill] Belichick, [Patriots owner] Mr. [Robert] Kraft, as well as countless others within the Patriots organization for their continued support.
"I want to thank my fans for their support as well as I continue down the path getting back to 100%."
— Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 20, 2018
The league later confirmed that Gordon had been banned.
"Effective today, Josh Gordon has been returned to the Reserve/Commissioner Suspended list indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement under the Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse." said an NFL statement.
A Patriots statement read: "We support Josh Gordon in his continued efforts to focus on his health. His attempt to do so is a private and personal matter, which we intend to respect."
Gordon missed all of 2015 and 2016 due to suspensions and played only five games in 2017.
In 11 games with New England, he has 40 receptions for a team-high 720 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots (9-5) will finish the regular season with home games against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.