Ex Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner officially said goodbye to the team after a short lived 16 months in office. Banner has been relatively quiet since his abrupt firing by Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam. However, Banner recently provided some insight on some of the troublesome moments throughout his tenure with the Browns courtesy of Cleveland.com.
One of Banners biggest regrets was not trading wide receiver Josh Gordon. Upon receiving news regarding Gordon’s repeat substance abuse, Banner opted to put the gifted wide receiver on the trading block, but not everyone in the organization agreed with this decision.
Banner and Lombardi also wanted to trade star receiver Josh Gordon because of multiple failed drug tests, but some in the organization, including then coach Rob Chudzinski, felt the Browns had a strong enough support system to keep him on the straight and narrow. When the Browns’ highest offer was a second-round pick and players, they opted not to make the move, and Gordon responded by finishing No. 1 in the NFL with 1,646 yards before reportedly failing another drug test this season.
Although Gordon finished last year with exceptional numbers, his future for this upcoming season is still in limbo. Gordon is now facing a year suspension after failing yet another drug test.