Josh Gordon letter/Suspended without pay for at least one year

[12intheBox]

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/an-open-letter-to-charles-barkley-co-cb5c4e64cf3

This is worth a read - no matter how you feel about the kid.

Fwiw, I want this kid on my team if he is made available.

 

[Warner4Prez]

Boom. Good read.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Great letter.

Doesn't seem like a bad person and maybe addiction isn't an issue for him... but he is a bad WR since his actions continue to take him off the field.

I'm interested in picking up a good WR. No thanks.

 

[Sleepy1711]

Very nice read.. Just to show that we shouldn't be judging people when we don't really know what's going on.

I'm sure many of us have been guilty of such.. like the whole PED with some players on this team without really knowing what happened.

 

[iced]

These are the actual facts surrounding my situation, and these are my words. What comes next is uncertain. I haven’t decided whether to appeal the latest suspension. That’s a matter for my agent and me to discuss.

By Gordon's story, I don't think he did anything wrong and his suspension should be reversed...Hope he considers doing it...

Why?

As a strict condition to my reinstatement in Week 12, I had to agree not only to abstain from drinking for the rest of the season, but also to submit to an alcohol screen as part of my in-season drug testing under the league’s substance-abuse protocol.

On Jan. 2 of this year, just days after our season ended earlier than we all had hoped — and yes, my actions during the prior offseason definitely contributed to our failure to make the playoffs; it killed me seeing our guys fight so hard when I wasn’t out there with them — I boarded a private flight to Las Vegas with several teammates. During the flight, I had two beers and two drinks. It was the first time I had consumed so much as a drop of alcohol since July 4, 2014, the day of the DWI.

His season was over Week 17, December 28th...

 

[A55VA6]

Sure he's made mistakes, but I believe in the guy. He's still incredibly young and talented. I think the Rams would be a great spot for him if he becomes available..

 

[FrantikRam]

I'd take him in a second.

 

[Speeps]

Josh Gordon is an interesting guy. I would like to have him in St. Louis. This sounds like a guy that Fisher needs to get his hands on. Especially since, Fisher has taken players with similar circumstances, and we have yet to have a problem with them. Which means that there is a fraternity of guys on this roster than can relate, and possibly help Josh Gordon out.

 

[RamFan503]

Wow! Great writing. I hope for the kid that this is all true and that someone with some authority freaking reads it and thinks about what it says. I swear that too often now the NFL and often people in general want to show they care or won't put up with shit anymore by just throwing a rug over something and hoping by smothering it, they show everyone that they are doing something. There simply are not so many players in the NFL that they cannot take a case by case approach. Funny that the NFL had to know all this stuff but did any of us hear the details?

Again - I hope this is all true and if so the kid gets a chance to show it. I also hope that if it is true, the NFL gets off their freaking high horse and knocks off this grand standing bullshit. Yeah - NFL. Produce all the fucking PSAs you want about domestic violence with people weeping on the screen. But the hell with actually doing anything that lets anyone understand if and when a problem really exists. Look at all these people saying "enough". The shield really cares. Morons.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Comes across like a whiny bitch making excuses to me. The terms said until the end of the season, not his season. Its not hard to figure out, if he was confused he should have asked.

I don't think he's a bad guy, but he has broken rules time and time again, and that's on him. Instead of excuses and "poor me" he should actually stop breaking the rules. The letter was well written, and terms may be harsh, but they were laid out for him. May be unpopular, but I don't feel bad.

 

[drasconis]

I take these things with a grain of salt. You know his agent/management vetted this before it was released. These things always feel like a PR spin move to me. I realize that is very pessimitic, but history usual shows these guys aren't serious.

 

[RamFan503]

Comes across like a whiny bitch making excuses to me. The terms said until the end of the season, not his season. Its not hard to figure out, if he was confused he should have asked.

I don't think he's a bad guy, but he has broken rules time and time again, and that's on him. Instead of excuses and "poor me" he should actually stop breaking the rules. The letter was well written, and terms may be harsh, but they were laid out for him. May be unpopular, but I don't feel bad.

I'd agree except that how is a guy in his position supposed to actually tell his story? While he may have repeatedly fucked up, it's not uncommon among many young people. And that is probably especially true of young guys that get pulled into stardom. I think it is a bit more unusual in that he didn't blame anyone else while making his excuses.

I think you could probably take JJ for example. I know we can never know what would have happened but could this have been him if he went to the Browns? I don't mean this as a real slight on the Browns but more in that by all accounts, Fish set out to ensure that this kind of stuff did not take place with him. Would he have made the difference with Gordon? Not sure.

 

[Mackeyser]

Damn good read! Good find.

And I agree, Iced. I'd appeal if I were him. Unless the stipulation regarding the "end of the season" were made clear that the "end of the season" was some date in February or March as if it were the end of a fiscal year, then I'm not sure how an arbitrator could find with the NFL. The season is denoted by games and the games were over for all the teams. Some teams are engages in the POST season, but the SEASON is over. Heck, even the NFL's advertising explicitly states that this is the post-season.

From that read, I'm liking Josh Gordon more and more. If he shakes loose from Cleveland, I'd love for the Rams to make a stab at him.

 

[Prime Time]

Never met the man, nor do I know what the truth is about him but as someone who escaped alcohol/drug addiction at the age of 29, I can tell you that I was the last person to know something was wrong with me until I hit bottom.

It was always everyone else's fault. They were all out to get me. They were exaggerating my situation. Whenever I screwed up it was a "mistake" or someone else's fault.

I can match Gordon's tale of woe and then some. It's a good thing I didn't have the money he has or I would have been dead before age 30.

Hope I'm wrong but this seems like someone who's in denial and will eventually crash and burn if he doesn't get help. Prove me wrong Josh. I'll be more than happy to admit it, especially if you end up playing for the Rams.

 

[Angry Ram]

Marshawn Lynch could take a lesson. THIS is how you deal with media bullshit.

 

[LetsGoRams]

Please play for the Rams.

Shows you how much these 'experts' know - and how they continually act like they are the know all / be all in sports.

 

[RamFan503]

Hope I'm wrong but this seems like someone who's in denial and will eventually crash and burn if he doesn't get help. Prove me wrong Josh. I'll be more than happy to admit it, especially if you end up playing for the Rams.

I think most if not all of us hope you're wrong as I know you do as well. I got the denial feeling too but I also sensed a bit of a witch hunt being conducted by the NFL to save the face of the shield. Of course maybe I'm the one in denial.

 

[Robocop]

good letter. i'd be extremely impressed if i knew he actually wrote it all himself. he's still an idiot for the sheer amount of times he's gotten in trouble for this stuff but anyways the alcohol ban IMO is complete bullshit. wtf does that have to do about weed? society is so back-asswards and hypocritical its unbelievable. doctors will shell out pain pills and sleeping pills and all kinds of drugs that are addictive, severely impare you, are bad for your long term health or can kill you in high doses. THAT's all well and fine for the NFL and the US government to allow to be dished out and pop them like skittles but God forbid someone smokes a plant that grows out the ground to relax, sleep or ease some pain and next thing you know your fired from your job or have cuffs slapped on you. shit....started going into a rant. I'm done lol. good read.

 

[LumberTubs]

Never met the man, nor do I know what the truth is about him but as someone who escaped alcohol/drug addiction at the age of 29, I can tell you that I was the last person to know something was wrong with me until I hit bottom.

It was always everyone else's fault. They were all out to get me. They were exaggerating my situation. Whenever I screwed up it was a "mistake" or someone else's fault.

I can match Gordon's tale of woe and then some. It's a good thing I didn't have the money he has or I would have been dead before age 30.

Hope I'm wrong but this seems like someone who's in denial and will eventually crash and burn if he doesn't get help. Prove me wrong Josh. I'll be more than happy to admit it, especially if you end up playing for the Rams.

We'll never know if he is understating the actual situation in terms of how much of a problem he has and I agree it does come across as someone bemoaning some bad luck. It seems to me that he's had too much "bad luck" for it to be a coincidence.

Having said that he does seem to be taking a great deal of responsibility if (and only if) this letter is genuinely how he feels and isn't solely a PR exercise.

 

[BatteringRambo]

I don't think this is a PR exercise or attempt to escape his image. Cris Carter and Barkley are the last ones to "reach out" speaking. Carter was substance abuse-cocaine while ruining his Eagles opportunity. Yes, he turned it around. Barkley with his DUI blow job. Stephen A...personally can't stand the guy for how he displays his opinons outloud.

I'm no saint but I'm also no satire or sadist. WE all make I'll advised decisions for whatever reasons. I can only remember the dumb ass decisions I made from age 20-23. It was the urge, follow through and gratification.

Too many politics in the NFL, NFLPA and most if not all media outlets. I'll read Gordon's reflection story any day but I quit reading into the media bullshit follow up years ago.

Perception and how we are fed to understand and comprehend is quite the challenge sometimes.