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Back on Monday, August 4th, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer reported that a decision on the appeal hearing for Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon could take anywhere from 1-3 weeks. That loose timetable has only added to the disadvantaged stage that the Browns are in -- he's already played in one preseason game, but if the ban is for a full year, he'll pretty much miss all of next year's training camp.
Three weeks from Cabot's timeline would be Monday, August 25th. As of this post, we are at the half-way point of the waiting game, and per ESPN's Adam Schefter, it looks like the wait is going to continue through the end of next week:
A verdict on Browns WR Josh Gordon’s appeal hearing might not be handed down until end of next week, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2014
NFL needs to issue a decision in Josh Gordon case. Unfair to player, Browns, and Browns fans to prolong this.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) August 15, 2014
It's frustrating, but it's the card the Browns have been dealt. The timetable provided by Schefter would seem to indicate that Gordon will play this Monday against the Washington Redskins in prime time. Then, the next question will be whether Gordon does or doesn't get to play in the team's first home preseason game against the Rams.