Editor’s Note:
This piece was originally published on December 22, 2018, when Josh Gordon took his leave from the NFL. It was not the first time we wrote about Josh Gordon and his struggles. Back in 2015, we published ‘Josh Gordon to His Critics: ‘Don’t Judge Me. You Don’t Know Me,” which was based on a powerful essay that Gordon himself had penned.
Earlier this week, Gordon was reinstated by the NFL. It happened quickly and without warning, but now it looks like Gordon will play this season for the New England Patriots, with an opportunity to be their #1 wide receiver. It has been a long road for the young man. We thought this would be a good time to revisit the below 2018 piece:
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Josh Gordon, the much talked about wide receiver from the New England Patriots who spent much of his career with the Cleveland Browns has decided to step away from the game of football to focus on his mental health effective immediately.
Gordon has had numerous suspensions relating to the NFL’s Substance Abuse Policy and missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspension. He’s now waiting to find out his fate in his latest, and possibly final, run in with Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL for yet another violation. This one could cause an indefinite suspension.
Gordon announced his decision Thursday morning on Twitter.
— Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 20, 2018
Gordon, when healthy and right, is among the best receivers in the NFL, but his demons are getting the best of him. The typical response from Joe Sports Fan is to call Gordon privelaged, spoiled or just a bad guy, but the reality is that Gordon could be a great guy with a monkey crawling all over his back that he can’t get rid of.
All we know is what we see in the press and take it from someone who has covered various professional sports leagues over their career, the press will find an angle to make a story juicy.
I’m not saying that Gordon should be let off the hook, not by a longshot, but we hear what happens and rarely do we hear why something happens. People who have a job like Gordon has, where he knows he’s going to be randomly drug tested don’t just take drugs because they have nothing better to do or because they feel like it.
They do it because they’re hurting somehow and they’re trying to mask some kind of pain or situation in their life.
Gordon has been suspended four times in his career that began with the 2012 supplemental draft. Why the supplemental draft and not the regular draft for someone with the Skills Gordon possesses? The same story.
In 2010, while playing at Baylor, Gordon and a teammate were found asleep in the drive-thru of a Taco Bell and marijuana was found in the car. Less than ten months later, Gordon failed a drug test and transferred from Baylor to Utah for one season.
Recently I wrote a couple pieces on sports and mental health and what I found was that a lot of the mental health problems from younger athletes all the way to the pros are due to fear, intimidation and other scare tactics by coaches and by parents and family members. These things stay with the players and can continue all the way to the highest level of athletics.
Gordon has been to rehab before, going in 2016. Whether or not he goes to rehab again remains to be seen. To be clear, no one knows if Josh Gordon is using at this point in his life or if he’s clean, clear headed and wants to make the right choice for himself and his long term mental health.
As someone who deals with a few mental health issues, I can say that to me it sounds like Josh Gordon is thinking clearly and that he may be finally making a life-changing decision.
I hope that’s the case because the alternative is that Gordon is smiling pretty for the cameras, saying the right things and biding his time until he sees if he’s ever reinstated.
Josh, thank you for having the courage to walk away from the game knowing your team is pushing for a first round bye. Yes, you made a commitment to your team, but you have a responsibility to yourself first and I applaud you for taking the time to work on your mental health and for being upfront about it.
Good luck.
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