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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- New Browns rookie receiver Josh Gordon promised Thursday to stay clean and repay the Browns for taking a chance on him in the second round of the supplemental draft.

"Despite everything I've been through, despite being a kid with a spotty background, the Cleveland Browns stuck their neck out and risked taking me and put their faith and belief in me, and I won't let them down," Gordon said in a phone interview. "I'm grateful, and I know I can't go back to being the person I used to be."

Gordon's arduous journey to the Browns began in October 2010 when he was in the midst of a solid sophomore season for Baylor. Following a big victory, Gordon attended a party with teammate Willie Jefferson, and the two later were arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana charge after falling asleep in a fast-food drive-through.

The next day, Gordon tested positive for marijuana, marking the beginning of the end of his Baylor career.

"From there, it was just a whirlwind of bad things," he said.

Gordon was permitted to finish the season because it was his first offense, but Jefferson was kicked off the team because it was his second. Still, Baylor, a strict Christian university, took Gordon's test seriously even though charges were dropped.

"They put sanctions on me and placed me on a probationary period, with community service and biweekly drug tests," said Gordon. "They weren't going to stand for it, and I understood that."

Gordon (6-3, 224) remained drug-free throughout the season and finished strong, catching 42 passes for 714 yards and tying teammate Kendall Wright with a team-high seven touchdowns. But when he returned to the school in June after summer break, he tested positive again for marijuana.

"That was the last straw for them," said Gordon. "We had to part ways that summer."

The farewell broke coach Art Briles' heart, because he loved Gordon as a person and a player.

"It killed me, it really did, because as a coach, I think we're in the kid-saving business," said Briles, who's remained in close contact. "I know Josh's character, I know his heart, I know his mind, I know his soul and it's all good."

Gordon transferred to Utah, but shortly before leaving, his family's apartment caught fire, and they were forced to evacuate. Gordon fled early for Utah, taking his mom's car and his brother with him. His mother stayed behind but had to live in a hotel and drive rental cars.

"It was hard for all of us," said Gordon.

At Utah, Gordon sat out the season but still practiced with the team and submitted to drug tests.

"I was in a rehabilitation program with group counseling, and I saw a psychiatrist, like, three times a week," he said. "I had to report back to the team while I was practicing. But I never tested positive at Utah."

Every Saturday, Gordon watched as Baylor took the college football world by storm and Robert Griffin III made his amazing run toward the Heisman Trophy and toward becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

"It was hard watching ESPN every day, seeing the whole RG3 phenomenon take place, and I was like, 'Man, I was just there a year ago, this is crazy,' " Gordon said. "I was really happy for them, but it was hard."

After the year, Gordon had a decision to make. His brother couldn't find work, and they struggled to pay their rent. His mom was also back home struggling financially.

"I decided to go back home and try to enroll in the University of Houston," he said. "I wanted to alleviate the stress on my mom and brother."

As recently as June 27, Gordon still was trying to obtain a transfer hardship waiver to get into Houston. "But time was running out," he said. "I had to declare for the supplemental draft by June 29th. I had to make a lot of hard life decisions pretty quickly."

Coach Briles helped him make the decision to go pro.

"Having his belief in me and support helped motivate me," Gordon said. "I thought another year of college and film was what I needed and what everybody expected me to do."

The moment Gordon declared for the draft, the Browns pursued. They had already fallen in love with him during the 2010 season while scouting their 2011 first-round pick, Phil Taylor.

"Cleveland was the only visit I made," said Gordon. "I had a good feeling they were going to draft me, but I was still shocked when they jumped up to the second round."

The cost for the Browns was their second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Browns General Manager Tom Heckert already had done his homework, talking to Briles, Taylor and Baylor assistant head coach Brian Norwood, the father of Browns receiver Jordan Norwood and a close associate of some in the Browns personnel department.

"I couldn't find anybody to say one bad thing about the kid," said Heckert. "I drilled him pretty hard when I was with him. He didn't back down, and he told me everything that I thought I needed to hear from him."

Gordon said he's not a drinker and never used other drugs.

"There was definitely a pattern there with the two failed tests, but marijuana has never had that strong of a hold on my life," he said. "I'm not an addict, and I shouldn't be treated as such. Being sober is not a struggle for me."

But he knows actions speak louder than words.

"I can tell people until I'm blue in the face, and there will always be naysayers that will say, 'I just don't believe him, I can't trust him.' But I know that I have no intentions or any ambition to try to go back and regress to what I was doing before -- testing positive or just being caught in a negative light."

He viewed fellow rookie receiver Justin Blackmon's recent DUI arrest as a cautionary tale.

"I've definitely learned from this," he said. "It's been a long road, but I'm seeing light at the end tunnel after today. Looking back, it was something that had to happen in order for this to even take place. I promise the Browns won't regret this."

On Twitter: @marykaycabot