It’s been a tough 2014 for Josh Gordon when it comes to life off the field.
The Browns’ wide receiver had a great year on the field. That much is impossible to ignore.
But in February, right before the NFL draft, news surfaced that Gordon had failed his second NFL drug test, a transgression that usually results in a yearlong suspension for players.
This was a huge blow for a Browns team that already lacked depth at basically every offensive position.
Then, Monday, Gordon made sure Roger Goodell’s decision on how long to suspend Gordon was an easy one.
He was pulled over in Raleigh, N.C., on drunk driving charges and bailed out by a guy named “Fats” Thomas, a local club promoter and convicted felon himself.
On a team with little to zero talent surrounding him, he was one of the lone bright spots in an extremely difficult 2013 Cleveland ?season.
The Cleveland Browns finished 4-12 which was last in the AFC North division and ended up near the bottom of the American Football Conference despite the division coming in much weaker than in years past.
His ascent to superstardom began no later than when he was drafted into the league in 2012 as a rookie, a year in which he caught 50 balls for 805 yards and made five touchdowns with worse than mediocre quarterback play.
Those numbers are pretty staggering for a rookie, especially considering the passing game in Cleveland has been in flux since Bernie Kosar left in 1993.
Gordon’s 2013 was the step up everybody expected as the Baylor product racked up 87 catches, 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns with that same inconsistency at quarterback.
He hauled in passes from the likes of Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell.
He set the franchise record for receiving yards in a season as a sophomore, heading into his third year with a much more talented team featuring explosive rookie Johnny Manziel.
Or what would have been his third year, at least.
To say Gordon has made some dumb mistakes in his life is like saying Dennis Rodman has made some dumb mistakes in his life.
It’s obvious and hardly worth saying at this point in his career.
But at the same time, Gordon is a young guy and these trends are really ?concerning.
Even at Baylor, he failed a drug test which ultimately led to him transferring to Utah and sitting out a year after declaring too late for the 2011 Supplemental Draft.
And now, after his newest set of legal problems, it’s going to be a surprise to a lot of people in the Cleveland community if Gordon ever suits up in a Browns uniform again.
That said, things don’t have to be terrible for Gordon from here on out.
He’s only 23 years old and has his entire career in front of him.
But knowing that, the Browns and the NFL have a responsibility to keep in contact with the embattled receiver and help him deal with whatever demons he’s dealing with.
Because to me, there’s no doubt that Gordon is dealing with an addiction not to marijuana or alcohol, but to a certain lifestyle.
It’s a lifestyle that ruined greats like former Georgetown University and Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson and world famous boxer Mike Tyson, and I think it’s hard for a 23-year-old in his position to break away from those patterns by himself.
I’d hate to see Gordon’s career end like this.
He’s too much fun to watch for his career to flame out, and, though they can’t follow him everywhere, the Browns and the NFL need to step in and make sure he doesn’t continue in this downward spiral.
For Gordon, if nobody else.
aknorth@indiana.edu
