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Browns WR Josh Gordon arrested for DWI

Things can always get worse.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Just as it appeared the tide may have been turning for Josh Gordon and his impending appeal regarding a reported violation of the NFL's substance of abuse policy, once again another huge setback raises seemingly every red flag there is to raise.

Gordon was arrested in Raleigh, NC early Saturday morning for driving while impaired. Matt Anderson of WKYC in Cleveland first broke the story:

Yesterday, ProFootballTalk reported that Gordon's hearing concerning the earlier violation finally had a date set for later this month. It goes without saying, this latest incident surely won't look good for his upcoming case.

ESPN's Adam Schefter pointed out that the DWI charge in Raleigh is driving subject to essentially any substance that leaves you "appreciably impaired," as police captain Tommy Klein described. It was later revealed that Gordon's blood-alcohol level was .09 at the time of the stop.

News of the arrest instantly turned sour what was roughly a month and a half of rumors that seemed to get more and more positive about the impending appeal, to the point that any potential reduction of the 23-year-old's possible suspension down from a year would have been considered a win for many Browns fans.

This is a new rock bottom.

But the prospect of losing this elite, league-leading receiver for a long time should have set in by now. The Browns have known about the earlier violation and impending suspension since before this year's draft, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. The team has had plenty of time to prepare.

If Gordon was in their Plan A, it's time to thinking about executing Plan B.