BEREA, Ohio -- Josh Gordon's fate rests in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but at this point, it's not even within Goodell's reach yet.
"I don't know what the status is,'' Goodell said during a fan forum with season-ticket holders who asked him questions. "That's not something I handle on a daily basis.''
Goodell acknowledged that Gordon "had entered into the program. ...(but) that's not under active consideration, to my knowledge, at least hasn't gotten to my desk yet."
Gordon's most recent petition for reinstatement from his indefinite drug ban was denied in May, but the NFL told him he could apply again in the fall. It didn't specify a date, but it's clear the NFL wanted him to spend more time on his recovery before letting him back in the league again.
If Goodell reinstates him, he could be eligible to play for the Browns again this season, but the Browns will have to think long and hard about going down that road again.
"A lot gets focused on Josh the player but we are arm and arm with the league," Brown said. "The most important thing for Josh is for Josh as a young man to get himself to a point where he gets past some of the issues that have prevented him from being able to participate and once we get to that stage, those questions will be answered in terms of his return to the field.
"But we care first and foremost in the league about the young man and that's where the focus will remain until we get to that point."
Gordon, 26, has been suspended for 43 of the Browns' last 48 games. He hasn't seen the field in about 32 months -- since a 17-13 loss to the Panthers on Dec. 21, 2014.
There's a precedent for Gordon being told to go home wait, and it worked out in his favor the last time. His petition was denied in April of 2016, but he was reinstated conditionally in July with a four-game suspension to open the season.
During that four-game suspension, Gordon determined that he was still struggling with substances, and checked himself into inpatient rehab for about a month.
At that point, Jackson put a moratorium on Gordon talk and said, "we're moving on and closing that chapter.''
But at the NFL Combine in March, Browns head of football operations Sashi Brown left the door open a crack for Gordon's possible return.
"Josh, assuming that he'd play at the level we started to see glimpses of last preseason, and certainly when he was in the league before, would be a talent I think no team in the NFL would turn down if he got back in," said Brown. "We're not in a position at wide receiver to turn down a guy like Josh if we feel like he's settled himself.''
Later that month, Gordon's business manager Michael Johnson told ESPN that the receiver was finally on the right track.
"Josh is living with me and is in the best place mentally that he has been in dating back years before entering the NFL," Johnson said. "He has taken the proper steps to treat his issues and has followed a very strict protocol that the league and our team here has laid out for him.
"He's also in the best shape of his life and feels even better than he did when he had his breakout year in 2013. This will be a special year for Josh and we are all very proud of the way he has taken the necessary steps to turn his life around."
Gordon has also been working out in Gainesville, Fla., with former Olympic track star Tim Montgomery, who turned his life around after his own problems with drugs, including dealing heroin.
Montgomery is a coach and trainer at NUMA Speed, which stands for 'never underestimate my ability.' The website says Montgomery "focuses on helping athletes build self-confidence and avoid social and professional pitfalls in the face of substance abuse and peer pressure."
If Gordon is truly rehabbed, Goodell could have a decision on his hands soon.