CLEVELAND - Cleveland coach Mike Pettine says Josh Gordon did not play in the Browns' last exhibition game because the team is preparing to be without the All-Pro wide receiver for at least part of the season.
Gordon is waiting to hear from the NFL regarding his appeal of a possible yearlong suspension for again violating the league's substance-abuse program. He has been practicing and playing for weeks amid uncertainty about his career.
Asked on Sunday why Gordon did not play in Saturday night's 33-14 loss to St. Louis, Pettine said: ''Knowing that the decision is looming - that we're fairly certain that were not going to have him for a minimum of some part of the year - we wanted to make sure that we were getting repetitions with the guys that are going to be out there early.''