Josh Gordon May Be a Moron, But This One Is On The NFL

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12226738/josh-gordon-cleveland-browns-facing-one-year-suspension-failing-another-drug-test

ESPN- Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has failed another drug test and now will be subject to a one-year suspension, according to league sources.

Gordon tested positive for alcohol, a source said, confirming a report by Pro Football Talk. The failed test is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Gordon, whose future in Cleveland and the NFL now will be in question.

People are so quick to call Josh Gordon an idiot. A moron. An asshole. While I don't necessarily disagree, why are we so quick to judgement? What happened to the days when we used to praise people for following their passion instead of the endless pursuit of wealth? It's very clear, to me anyway, that Josh Gordon just likes smoking weed more than he likes playing football. Is that a crime? According to half the states across this fair nation of ours, it is not. I think people are just mad that they will never find anything they love as much as Josh Gordon likes pot. You might feel the same way if your future was heavily reliant on the right arm of Johnny Football.


Wait, what was that? Josh Gordon's failed 'drug test' had nothing to do with the use of marijuana? He failed a drug test for ALCOHOL? Nice spin job NFL. No one in the history of history has failed a drug test for alcohol. Why didn't the headline just read "Josh Gordon Got Drunk", or "Rich 23 Year Old Football Player Likes Weed And Booze"? While I wasn't aware that there was a clause in Gordon's contract prohibiting him from taking a drink, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. However, no one should be surprised that he had a drink...or twelve, and that includes the NFL. The league clearly wants nothing to do with him being on the field and playing on Sundays. Did they think there was even a microscopic chance that he was going to stop drinking completely? He signed that contract just to get on the field, chances are he didn't even read it. Granted, I have never lost my job for drinking (probably could have with some of the 9-5 haunting hangovers I have experienced), but I couldn't go two weeks without a drink. The NFL inserting a 'no drinking' clause is like betting against your friend and his team. You take advantage of the fact that he is betting with his heart and not his head. Maybe Josh Gordon really did want to stop drinking, but guess what. He's 23. Anything short of locking himself in a cage wasn't going to keep him from the bottom of the bottle. 

Can we take a step back and realize for a second that we are about to completely ruin the career of one of the most promising young football players in the country? And for what? Weed and booze? Things that 97% of people in his age demographic do on a bi-weekly basis. I'm not saying the kid is bright. I'm not saying he's innocent. I am just saying the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Obviously Josh Gordon is suspect number one when it comes to giving drug tests, but do they administer them to the whole league? There is no chance that players are regularly tested and we don't see at least 100 suspensions per week. Josh Gordon obviously made a mistake by breaking his contract, but there is no way it is an uncommon mistake. Show me a player that doesn't engage in herbal remedies from time to time, and I'll show you his counterpart waiting in line at Taco Bell at 3AM. The fact that NFL players can't smoke a little weed, a substance that falls about 8 field lengths short of being performance enhancing, really shows the disconnect between the rich conservative turds that run the league and the rest of society.