

BEREA, Ohio -- Josh Gordon's new career as a car salesman might have to wait.

Two league sources told cleveland.com that the suspended receiver might be eligible for reinstatement this season if the NFL and the NFL Players Association approve the revamped drug policy that they're feverishly working on.

"That

t would be awesome, obviously, to have him back,'' said tight end Jordan Cameron. "But I'm not holding onto that hope at all. We're planning on playing without him. Obviously if he could back, that would be a dream come true.''

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said during a radio interview Friday that if the new policy is approved, players who were recently suspended under the old rules should have their sanctions revised or revoked.



"If we get a deal done that covers players in this league year, I don't like that we punish players under a deal active in the old league year," Smith told 106.7 The Fan in Washington. "We don't want players to suffer because the union and the league couldn't get it done before the league year.''

The issue with Gordon, however, is that he may have tested positive for marijuana before the league year began on March 11. If that's the case, the new rules might not apply to him. A league source told cleveland.com that the NFL has known about Gordon's positive test since February -- even though it didn't surface publicly on ESPN until May 9.

Still, that's not necessarily a dealbreaker in terms of Gordon getting back on the field this season.

Another source told cleveland.com "it's possible Gordon will be reinstated this season,'' because the NFL and the NFLPA are still working through the process of which players would fall under the new policy.

For example, the two sides could agree to revise the suspensions for players who were notified of them after the league year began; or they could apply the new rules to players who tested positive after the league year began.

All of these things are still to be determined, one source said, and Mark Maschke of the Washington Post reported that a deal would likely have to be struck before this weekend's games for Gordon and Welker to benefit this season.

If they agree that the new policy would apply only to players who tested positive after March 11, Gordon might still have to serve his season-long ban.

Among other things, the two parties are negotiating a new threshold for the banned substance in marijuana. Currently, it's 15 nanograms per milliliter. Gordon's "A" test was 16 ng/ml, and his "B" confirmation test was 13.6, a source told cleveland.com.

According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, the sides are considering a 50 ng/ml threshold for the "A" test -- the same as Major League Baseball and the military. In the Olympics, it's 150 ng/ml.

In the case of Broncos receiver Wes Welker, who reportedly tested positive for a stimulant in May, he'd be more likely to fall under the new rules because it was after the new league year.

The revised policy will reportedly state that players testing positive for stimulants in the offseason would fall under the substance abuse policy and the not the performance-enhancing drug policy, which carries an automatic four-game ban for a first-time offender. Under new rules, Welker would not be suspended as a first-time offender pursuant to the substance abuse policy.

The potential impact on Gordon and Welker was first reported by profootballtalk.com.

There are other things on the table that could impact Gordon. The NFL reportedly wants the chance to immediately discipline players who are arrested for DWI without going through due process. If the league wins on that front, Gordon could be suspended for his DWI July 5 in Raleigh, N.C., although first-time offenders usually aren't suspended. His hearing for the DWI is in November.

With the new policy including HGH testing, the NFLPA wants to pump the brakes on an agreement a bit to make sure it's in the best interests of the players, so there's still plenty to be worked out.

But there is a chance Gordon could return to the field this season.

In the meantime, he's set to begin working as a car salesman this weekend at the Sarchione Auto Group in Randolph, Ohio.