Patriots receiver Josh Gordon announces he's stepping away from the NFL to focus on his mental health

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• New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon announced on Thursday that he is stepping away from football to focus on his mental health.
• Gordon said he feels he could "have a better grasp on things mentally" and thanked the Patriots for supporting him.
• Gordon has played 22 games since 2014 while serving suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon announced on Thursday that he is stepping away from football to focus on mental health.

"I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level," Gordon said in a statement.

"I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health."

Gordon thanked the Patriots owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and the team for supporting him. Gordon was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Patriots in Week 2 and has totaled 40 catches for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns.

It's unclear how long Gordon intends to be away from the team. The NFL playoffs begin in three weeks.

Read Gordon's statement below:

Gordon has battled substance abuse issues during his career. He missed all of the 2015 and 2016 seasons while serving suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He also only played five of 16 games in 2017 while still with the Browns.

At the beginning of the 2018 season, with training camp set to begin, Gordon announced he would be stepping away "as part of his overall health and treatment plan." He returned and played in Week 1 with the Browns before getting traded.