What a blindsided hit that was and still is. Josh Gordon announced via Twitter that he was going to be stepping away from the Patriots and from football in order to focus on his mental health. See:
pic.twitter.com/omiQgO8IjE
— Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 20, 2018
It’s also been announced that Gordon has, once again, been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. The timing of both of these announcements are not a coincidence, it’s deemed that both sides have known this was coming for weeks now. Also, I know the majority of people will be quick to assume that this is about weed. I’m highly doubting that’s the case, so please pipe down in advance.
First things first: I LOVE Josh Gordon. When New England initially acquired Gordon, I was ECSTATIC. I’ve loved him since he entered the league back in 2013. I was ecstatic not just because this stud only cost the team a fifth-round pick, but because of his potential and talent in general. His nickname is “Flash” for a reason. The dude is such a blessing to watch. He is so quick and so talented with the ball in his hands. I knew he wouldn’t be Brady’s number one target but regardless, I knew he’d bring a smile to my face just by being in a New England Patriots uniform.
The moment the trade was announced, I grabbed my laptop and began blogging about it. In the process of writing about how excited I was about this acquisition, I had to educate myself on his background. He had been suspended four times for various substance abuse reasons prior to the Patriots picking him up and I knew there had to be something that happened and/or was happening in his life that was causing these suspensions. After all, he hadn’t gotten consistent snaps since his breakout 2013 season. Something was up. I did diligent research and after lots of reading up, I think I fell in love with him even more than I already did. I, like so many others, loved Josh Gordon the athlete, but I quickly fell in love with Josh Gordon the human. I knew he had potential as an athlete and as a person. He had a traumatic childhood and upbringing; he started using drugs in middle school and stated that he was under the influence of some sort of drugs both in high school games and most certainly in college games. I could go on and on about the stemming issues and what he has done and what has happened in his life since he was just a kid. There’s, again, a reason why he’s been suspended by the league five times now (not that all of his suspensions are justified morally, rather justified by NFL rules).
He has only openly stated that he suffers from anxiety and obviously has a drug addiction. This gives me even more reason to adore him the way I do. Few professional athletes dare to be open about these issues that I know so many of them deal with at any level of any sport. Now, it amazes me how people fail to correlate the two: drug addiction and mental illness. The man grew up in a bad area and in a bad household. He began using drugs in middle school. That is just double the reason to feel empathy towards him. It’s one thing to struggle with mental health and to have had a shitty childhood, but it’s only more upsetting when someone feels that the only way to cope with those things is to medicate with harmful substances. Drug addiction pretty much takes over today’s headlines, yet people are still oblivious to how common these two things are and the fact that they are often correlated with each other and that the stigma STILL exists. It doesn’t matter whether someone suffers from just mental illness, just drug addiction, or both, people will still find a way to make them feel like it’s “no big deal” when, really, it is a huge fucking deal. MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT.
I’m pretty sure I have anxiety. I’ve never directly, seriously told anyone, so there’s that, I guess. It upsets me how people still refuse to believe that people suffer from mental health issues and that people who do suffer from mental health issues need breaks, as Josh Gordon is stepping away from football completely. I personally cannot function without my frequent alone time and without just laying in bed at absurdly hours until it’s time to get up because sometimes my anxiety is just that bad. I’ve been going to bed at 7:30 PM every day this week because I just need to relax, not think about anything and not talk to anyone. I’m kind of a nobody so nobody really cares, and I’m okay with that. Josh Gordon is a professional athlete and his issues are now being publicized and criticized by MILLIONS, the literal last thing he needs right now. He is stepping away to get help, for once taking it upon himself to take matters into his own hands and to seek help, but everyone who has a Twitter account and anyone who knows a lick about sports feels the need to treat him poorly and talk bad about him. It’s not his fault that he has anxiety. It’s even not his fault that he suffers from addiction, something that few people will understand and/or accept. Neither of these things can be controlled.
Throughout his life, all he has needed was help. He still needs help. He has endured enough negative remarks throughout his life, as have so many others. It’s about time we help these people before it’s too late. People are quick to feel terrible about people who pass away who had suffered from mental health issues and/or drug addiction, but never feel empathy while they are still alive. A big part of why people commit suicide is because they feel alone. Maybe if we paid more attention to those suffering from either a chemical imbalance or a drug addiction, they would not have to suffer through those terrible things anymore. Instead, society shuns them and makes hem feel worse than they already do because society refuses to accept the fact that mental health is important and that mental health struggles are a real thing. They are not made up. Nobody wants to suffer from mental health issues and nobody chooses to suffer from them.
I’ve seen far too many people today claim that Gordon chose this path himself and the fact that he is a professional athlete and has millions of dollars should make him happy. Yeah, not how it works, sorry to break it to ya. Handing someone fame and money does not mean that their problems fade away. If anything, those things make it worse. Again, his issues are being publicized and are being taken and reacted to negatively. If millions of people around the world were made aware of my problems and they only know about them because I’m an athlete and have lots of money, I’d have stepped away from the game immediately. I couldn’t possibly handle it.
I didn’t want to make this article about football and I’m not going to, because this is about a human life, not a game. Josh Gordon is a human being, not a robot programmed to run routes and catch footballs. He is a human being with feelings and emotions and a past who needs help and has seemingly been receiving that and is going to get further help. This is not about sports, it’s not about the Patriots. It’s about Joshua Caleb Gordon. A man who needs help and for the first time in his life is admitting it. I don’t care if he only chose to step away from the game because the news of his suspension woke him up, for a lack of a better term. He is seeking help and that is all that matters. The dude has had an awful life that most of us cannot begin to comprehend. Don’t send him shitty, moronic tweets, rather send your best wishes, thank him for his time and encourage him. He deleted his Instagram but his Twitter is still up. He may see it, he may not. If he does, then he sees positive words, not negative words. He needs any positivity he can get as he begins this journey.
I believe that joining the Patriots helped keep his demons at bay for the last three or so months, but being a Patriot obviously did not remove them. Being in a healthy football and personal environment surrounded by great teammates and a great staff and front office who vouched for him and voluntarily did the best they could to give him the beginning help he needed allowed him to take a step back and seek further help. If he remained with the Cleveland Browns or even became unemployed, I don’t think he would be where he is today and right now.
Josh Gordon is not a bad person. He is a good person with a bad problem. To anyone who speaks down upon him and trashes his name, educate yourselves. Consider yourself blessed to not understand what it’s like to suffer from a chemical imbalance or a drug addiction. Better yet, think before you speak. This is a human life, a human life who has tried his damn best to be viewed as a good person by people like you and to redeem his own self-image. I can’t say it enough, but I wish him nothing but the absolute best of luck on this next era of his life. I hope this isn’t the last we hear of him and I hope that he uses his story to educate the younger generation(s) and to inspire people around the world.
(Lastly, MARIJUANA IS NOT BAD AND SHOULD BE LEGAL ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. Again, I highly doubt that he was suspended because of this, but he at least was an avid user not too long ago. There is no reason for the league to punish players who smoke it while at home and away from their team and facilities. It’s becoming increasingly legal around the country; it’s amazing to see entire states finally come to the realization that it’s not “bad”. It’s time for the NFL to grow up and allow its players to use it, especially when these players take tens of massive hits that affect their brains on a weekly basis. Also, consider his previous punishment and latest punishment compared to those who are domestic abusers in the league. Josh Gordon has been banished from the league multiple times for his drug use while plenty domestic abusers still have jobs/will be back in a job within a few months. It’s utterly embarrassing.)
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