Josh Gordon will not play for the entire 2014 NFL season for the Cleveland Browns after the league announced on Wednesday that the Pro Bowler's suspension was upheld.

Gordon was handed a full-season ban for another violation of NFL's policy on substance abuse after testing positive for marijuana. The wide receiver lodged an appeal, but the league revealed that arbitrator Harold Henderson found no reason to overturn the ruling.

The 23-year-old star, who had a league-best 1,646 receiving yards with nine touchdowns last season, will not be allowed to attend team practices. He will also be barred from participating in team meetings and all club functions for the entire season.

NFL insider Albert Breer also reported that there will be "no avenue for reinstatement," which means that Gordon will have to wait after next season to know whether or not he will be allowed to play again.

Gordon issued an apology to his teammates and the entire Browns organization for how the issue affected their preparation, while also expressing frustration about how his cased was handled.

"I'd like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Browns organization and our fans," Gordon said in a statement on Wednesday. "I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn't exercise better discretion and judgment in my case."

Gordon hired attorney Maurice Suh for the appeal proceeding, hoping that he could find ways to reduce the suspension. Suh argued that Gordon tested positive due to secondhand smoke and that the test results were inconsistent, but the arbitrator maintained that the former Baylor star should be ruled ineligible to play next season.

Browns coach Mike Pettine will have to make drastic adjustments, while starting quarterback Brian Hoyer will be forced to lean on tight end Jordan Cameron and the newly acquired wide receiver Miles Austin.

Pettine did not use Gordon during their 33-14 loss against the St. Louis Rams on Saturday, admitting that they expect Gordon to be out for a substantial amount of games next season.

"Knowing that the decision is looming, that we're fairly certain that we're not going to have him for at minimum some part of the year, we wanted to make sure that we were getting repetitions with the guys that were going to be out there early," Pettine said of benching Gordon on Saturday via Ohio.com.

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