CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No decision is expected Friday on Josh Gordon's indefinite ban for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, and he'll be back in Cleveland by Saturday, league sources have told cleveland.com.

A decision is expected soon, but not immediately after Friday's appeal hearing at the NFL offices in New York City.

It's uncertain if Gordon will be back in time Saturday to participate in the Family Day scrimmage Saturday at the University of Akron, which begins at 11:30 a.m.

Gordon's attorneys, Heather McPhee of the NFLPA and Maurice Suh, will argue in front of arbitrator Harold Henderson that Gordon tested positive for marijuana because of second-hand smoke. They'll also state that the test results of his "A" and "B" specimens were inconsistent, and that Gordon should not be banished from the NFL based on those results.

Henderson can impose something less than the minimum one-year ban, but that rarely happens, because an "appeal ruling is expected to affirm or reject the decision,'' a league source said.

No NFL player is believed to have won an appeal on the grounds of second-hand smoke. However, Gordon's attorneys feel his case is different, because he's the only one in their research with a "B'' test -- the quality-control specimen used to confirm a positive "A'' test -- under the NFL threshold of 15 nanograms of the banned substance in marijuana per milliliter.

Former Giants and current Ravens defensive back Will Hill recently lost his appeal of a six-game suspension after blaming his positive test on second-hand smoke.

A source told cleveland.com that Henderson will take a hard-line stance on the passive smoke argument, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello stressed that NFL players are responsible for what's in their bodies.



Even if Gordon wins his appeal, he could still be suspended or otherwise disciplined under the personal-conduct policy for his DWI last month in Raleigh, N.C. His hearing for that is Aug. 26.