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Following up on the ongoing story. ... Still more clarity for fantasy football owners interested in Josh Gordon. The troubled Cleveland wideout's petition for reinstatement from his indefinite drug ban has been denied by the NFL, a league source told Cleveland Plain Dealer staffer Mary Kay Cabot.

Cabot added that Gordon can apply for reinstatement later in the year. According to Profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio, the specific date for that application will be August 1.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Gordon must show NFL he has been clean in all areas - drug tests, off the field - in hopes of being reinstated once the time comes.

While it's not clear if the same 60-day window previously discussed in relation to these requests applies, "Gordon's availability for the 2016 season is in serious jeopardy," Cabot wrote.

Over the past month, the Browns have made it increasingly clear that they weren't counting on Gordon for the 2016 season. As Cabot noted, the tone changed shortly after the NFL Combine in late February, where Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown said the club would welcome Gordon back if he were doing the right things.

But at the NFL Annual meeting last month, head coach Hue Jackson admitted that he was game planning without the All-Pro receiver.

"I always learned something a long time ago -- you never worry about something you never had," Jackson said. "I've never had any contact with him, so I'm going to plan on what's in our building now and go from there."

That same day, Brown grew weary of questions about Gordon in a small group setting with local beat writers.

"I would just say probably enough Josh chatter," Brown said. "I know he's intriguing but really for us, we're focused on the guys that are on our roster and if Josh comes back, great, and if he doesn't, we're ready."

This latest news caps a 24-hour period in which the NFL's protracted silence regarding Gordon ended in a major way.

Gordon reportedly failed a drug test last month, and the league reportedly wanted to wait 2-3 months before reinstating him in order to see whether Gordon could stay clean during that time. Now we know for a fact that is indeed the case.

Gordon's failure to comply to date shouldn't instill great confidence in anybody that a sudden turnaround is coming.

That said, we'll obviously be following up as further details come to light.