Seahawks' Josh Gordon back on commissioner's exempt list

Updated Dec. 23, 2020 6:05 p.m. ET

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RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon will not make his debut this week after he was placed back on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday he was not at liberty to comment on Gordon’s situation. But the Seahawks went from expecting Gordon to possibly play this week against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday to two days later knowing he’ll be unavailable.

The oft-suspended Gordon was conditionally reinstated by Commissioner Roger Goodell on Dec. 3 and was allowed to begin strength and conditioning work with the Seahawks staff, and attend meetings. This week was to be the first week Gordon could be eligible to play and practice should he meet all requirements set forth by the league. Seattle added him to the active roster on Monday, but the change to Gordon’s status was on the NFL’s official transactions on Tuesday.

Carroll said Gordon was “frustrated” with the latest news and will remain on the roster.

“We’ll revisit it again next week,” Carroll said. “Certainly disappointed not to have him for his sake and for a lot of things but we’ll stay with it and we’ll see what happens next week.”

Gordon was suspended in December 2019 for violating the league’s drug policy. He tested positive for performance enhancers and “substances of abuse,” the league said in a statement at the time.

It was the eighth time overall Gordon had been suspended by either his team or the NFL, including six times since 2013, mostly for violating the league’s policies on banned substances.

Seattle re-signed Penny Hart to the practice squad after he was cut to make room on the roster for Gordon. Hart would be a likely addition from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

One player Seattle won’t have for the rest of the season is cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who has already missed more than a month with a knee injury, Carroll said Dunbar will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Dunbar was an offseason acquisition in a trade with Washington, but had a rocky first season, in part because of off-field legal troubles. Dunbar appeared in six games and had one interception.

Seattle designated cornerback Tre Flowers to return to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday after he was slowed by a hamstring injury.

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