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Patriots' Dorsett: It's 'heartbreaking' Josh Gordon isn't at Super Bowl LIII

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The New England Patriots will be without wide receiver Josh Gordon for Super Bowl LIII, as he reportedly remains in an inpatient drug treatment facility following a December suspension.

Patriots receiver Phillip Dorsett says Gordon's presence is missed heading into the game against the Los Angeles Rams.

"Obviously we want him to be here as a teammate, a player and a person," Dorsett said, according to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "We definitely would want him to be here. It is a little heartbreaking. At the end of the day, we have to focus on what we have in this locker room. We gotta go out there and try to win, that’s the only thing we can worry about."

Gordon, who was an early-season trade acquisition, started 11 games for the Patriots in 2018 and caught 40 of 68 targets for 720 yards and three touchdowns.

The 27-year-old is indefinitely suspended from the NFL for multiple violations of his reinstatement under the substance abuse policy.

Julian Edelman and running back James White were the only Patriots to amass more receiving yards than Gordon this season, finishing with 850 and 751 yards, respectively. Dorsett, meanwhile, has caught touchdown passes in each of his past three games, including both of the Patriots' playoff contests.

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