Report: Browns' Josh Gordon facing jail time if he doesn't pay child support

While the Cleveland Browns wait for Josh Gordon’s return, Gordon is focusing on more than just his own physical and mental well-being.

Specifically, he’s locked in a custody battle.

Pay up or get locked up

Via TMZ Sports, Gordon and Christina Lockhart, the mother of his 3-year-old daughter, are battling over child support.

The site reports that Lockhart recently got a court order requiring Gordon to pay $6,765 per month in support, beginning August 1. That amount is based on Gordon’s 2018 base salary of $800,000.

Lockhart’s lawyer told WKYC in Cleveland that she has not yet received the first payment.

In court documents, Gordon’s lawyer, Tanja Holecek, said the player won’t get his first paycheck for the regular season until September 9 (it would actually come September 4 or 5; players are usually paid in the days leading up to a game, not on game day).

The judge in the case declared that the penalty for missing the support payments is up to 30 days for the first violation, 60 days for the second and 90 days for the third.

Browns hoping Gordon returns for Week 1

Gordon, who has battled addiction issues and revealed in an interview last year that he’d played every game early in his career drunk or high, announced on social media last month that he wouldn’t be starting training camp with his teammates as part of his “overall health and treatment plan.”

WKYC reporter Phil Trexler discovered that the judge’s mandate was handed down just a couple of days before Gordon’s announcement, but it’s unclear if his absence is related to the court case.

While Gordon hasn’t yet returned to the Browns, the team reportedly does expect him back for the start of the regular season.