Former Browns WR Takes Random Shot at Steelers

The former All-Pro had some harsh words for the Pittsburgh Steelers while talking about James Harrison.

Dec 31, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) runs after a catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Former NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon saw an opportunity to take a shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers and ran with it.

When asked the hardest hit he ever took during his career by live streamer N3on, Gordon responded with James Harrison and revealed that he broke his ankle on the play while attributing it to the turf at Acrisure Stadium, which has become a huge point of contention recently.

He didn't mince any words regarding his thoughts about Pittsburgh, either, as a long-time Cleveland Brown.

"James Harrison broke my ankle," Gordon said. "It was my rookie season too. The foot was planted, it's just the cleats got planted and that s***** a** turf in Pittsburgh, in S*****burgh."

Mar 22, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; View of Acrisure Stadium site of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Carolina Hurricanes at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Controversy About Playing Surface at Acrisure Stadium

The conditions at Acrisure Stadium were on display for all the wrong reasons during the 2025 campaign.

Those issues came to a head when special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffered a knee injury on a kickoff in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, which prompted Aaron Rodgers to make some telling post-game comments about the surface.

"I couldn't tell pregame, no. I just felt like it got real beat up," Rodgers said. "By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up, so I feel bad about what happened to Miles."

Several other players and even head coach Mike Tomlin criticized the shape of the field shortly after that contest as well, and the surface received the worst grade of any home field in the NFL "by a wide margin" in the annual NFLPA report cards for this past season, per ESPN's Kalyn Kahler.

The good news, though, is that the Steelers are resurfacing Acrisure Stadium for the upcoming 2026 campaign, with the hope being that all of the preexisting issues are put to the wayside.

Dec 15, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon (10) catches a pass against Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson (26) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images | Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Steelers Tried to Bring Gordon Out of Retirement?

Gordon, whose promising career was curtailed by off-the-field issues largely relating to the league's substance abuse policy, spent parts of the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

There, he played with Russell Wilson, who attempted to convince Gordon to join him with the Steelers during the 2024 campaign.

“I ended up staying in Seattle for two years and getting to meet Russell,” Gordon said during an appearance on former Browns teammate Johnny Manziel's "Glory Daze" podcast in November 2025. “And Russell, he even called me wanting to go. He’s like, ‘Hey man, let me see if I can get you in with the Pittsburgh Steelers' when I was already done and out of Tennessee.”

Gordon didn't ultimately sign with Pittsburgh, but what a potentially fun addition that would have been for a team desperate for wide receiver help.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!