CLEVELAND, Ohio --- Browns cornerback Joe Haden made it clear Tuesday that no one on the plane to Vegas to with Josh Gordon on that fateful night of January 2nd knew he wasn't permitted to drink alcohol.
"We're grown,'' said Haden at the Browns offseason program. "Everybody's 21. We're going to Vegas on a vacation. We know he can't do certain things, but we had no idea he couldn't have a drink. If I knew he couldn't have a drink, everybody would have tried to - it wouldn't have been that. But Josh Gordon is a grown man and sometimes you have to know what decisions you make, but nobody was aware that he couldn't drink."
Gordon, who was suspended a minimum of one year for drinking on the plane, explained in an open letter on The Cauldron that he had two beers and two drinks on the private jet and was informed upon landing that he had to report to a testing location within four hours. He also stated that he thought his ban on drinking had expired because the season was over.
Gordon posted videos from the plane, which undoubtedly prompted the testing.
Now, he's paying the price, but determined to make it back into the league. He's apparently still living in the area and has remained close to his good friend Haden.
"We were up there at the Strongsville Rec Center playing basketball yesterday,'' said Haden. "I keep in touch with him a lot. I just try to keep him positive."
He said the suspension has taken a toll, and that Gordon needs support.
"When you're out for the year, you can't be too excited at all,'' he said. "I'm just trying to be there for him, just trying to keep him on a positive note."
He said Gordon, who can apply for re-instatement Feb. 3, is 100% determined to get back into the league.
"For sure,'' said Haden. "That's all it is."
Haden has taken it upon himself to counsel some of the Browns troubled players, including Gordon, Johnny Manziel and cornerback Justin Gilbert.