The NFL’s leading receiver in 2013 is going to spend the 2014 season working in the Cleveland area after all. He’s just not going to be doing it playing for the Browns.

After the NFL upheld Josh Gordon’s yearlong suspension last week for repeated positive drug tests, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported Thursday that Gordon will be working at a car dealership outside of Akron during his time away from the team.

#Browns WR Josh Gordon has a new job. He will be the goodwill ambassador for the Sarchione Auto group in (cont) http://t.co/Piqu2vOQih — Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 4, 2014

Anderson’s full tweet explains.

#Browns WR Josh Gordon has a new job. He will be the goodwill ambassador for the Sarchione Auto group in Randolph, Ohio, which includes Sarchione Ford and Sarchione Chevrolet . He will be working in all aspects of their car business including as an on-floor salesman. Gordon will also be heading all of their local community efforts including with the Wounded Warriors Project. He starts this weekend.

This is vaguely reminiscent of the Eastbound & Down episode where Kenny Powers shows up to a BMW dealership (owned by Will Ferrell’s amazing Ashley Schaeffer character).

Warning – R-rated language in the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Nso2SxtR0

Unfortunately, this situation isn’t fictional and Gordon isn’t a washed-up former athlete. He’s a 23-year-old who is potentially the NFL’s best player at his position, now forced to spend a year away from the game and his team due to both his own bad choices and the league’s misguided marijuana policy.

While Gordon’s new job certainly seems like a weird diversion, he’s barred from the Browns facility during his suspension due to NFL rules. That doesn’t exactly seem like the best way of trying to help a player who’s struggling with substance issues.

So if this is an opportunity for him to have a job that gives him some structure, allows him to do some positive charity work and keeps him in proximity to his teammates, it’s certainly a better alternative than him leaving town and being exposed to some of the same pitfalls he’s found before.

That’s unfortunately something we saw happen with Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon, who was arrested again in July while in the midst of his yearlong NFL ban.

The idea of a Pro Bowl receiver waiting out his suspension by selling cars just an hour away from his team’s facility seems like a sitcom plot. But for a guy who needs to feel part of something more than anything right now, it could be a nice way to spend his time. He’ll get to interact with people regularly and hopefully find support from fans who want him to know they’ve got his back and want to see him on the field this time next season.

And he’ll probably be able to get a nice employee discount on a 2015 Ford Fusion, so he’s got that going for him too.