DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Josh Gordon is out of rehab

CLE Chatter: Browns receiver Josh Gordon hit with second paternity suit (and other noteworthy tidbits from our town)

More off-the-field drama: Browns receiver Josh Gordon, who is hoping the NFL will soon lift his indefinite drug suspension and open the door to a possible return to the field, is being sued by a Lake County woman to establish paternity and child support, per court papers filed last month. A pre-trial in the case is scheduled for May 16. Kristen Leonard said in court papers that Gordon is the father of her 2-year-old child, who was born March 1, 2015. "We hope to resolve this matter quickly and amicably so my client's child can have the benefit of being supported by both parents," Leonard's lawyer, Kelly M. Zacharias, told me. Gordon's lawyer could not be reached. (I'll update the post when I hear from Gary Vick, who is listed on the court docket as Gordon's lawyer.) Leonard is the second woman to sue Gordon to establish paternity and child support. A paternity test conducted last September showed Gordon is the father of a Maple Heights girl. Gordon's refusal to respond to multiple subpoenas in that case triggered a warrant for his arrest that was withdrawn when he finally complied. A report last month by ESPN said Gordon expected NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to rule on his application for reinstatement in late April or in May. Gordon, who has not played in an NFL game since Dec. 21, 2014, is under the control of the Browns through next season, but the team has not signaled it wants to keep him around.

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2017/04/cle_chatter_former_browns_rece.html

yea... he is a real saint...

I think the only "realization" he came too is the amount of drugs he could have bought with the millions he has thrown away.

Sorry not sorry for Gordon, even if he does come back, he will never be the player he was with this long of an absence.

Well, he certainly sounds earnest. This is way different than his previous "life was too hard on me" narrative. He just put it all out there for the world, and jumped squarely into the spotlight to say "watch me". It's a huge first step, the question is whether his path will be straight and narrow.

I think it's a great opportunity for those around him to actually jump in and provide real help. Goodell should jump all over JG's plan for "40 more days" and just suspend him for 6 weeks with a blessing and words of wisdom for the future. Why not challenge him to put his money where his mouth is, he probably can't do it without football anyway. The league and his team should seize the opportunity to make it clear that he has "one last chance".

It's easy as fans to let history jade our future expectations. An addict's odds of recovery are never in their favor - they have to commit to beating them every day. For addicts, it's usually the grace and love from others that puts them over the top. I have no problem pulling for Josh and hope the team and the league does the same. It doesn't really hurt us if he fails - it only hurts Josh Gordon.

Good job "fessin' up" young man.

Both Josh and the Browns franchise have hit rock bottom
The reality is they both need each other
Josh is one of the most natural gifted wrs I've ever seen in my playing coaching watching football in 41 years.
I would welcome him back

I can be a better man’: Suspended Browns WR Josh Gordon comes clean about his drug use

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/earl...m=.88ee6e223e22

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has not played in an NFL game since December 2014, his NFL-mandated suspensions piling up one after the other. But now, in a short documentary for LeBron James’s Uninterrupted digital video company, Gordon finally is admitting to his substance-abuse problems in his attempt to return to the field.

“I’ve used alcohol on many, many occasions, Xanax on many occasions, cocaine several occasions, marijuana most of my life, codeine, cough syrup, methazine is very prevalent where I’m from,” said Gordon, whose latest petition for reinstatement was denied by the NFL in May. “It’s what I grew up using.”

Gordon’s first suspension, for the first two games of the 2013 season, was levied after he failed a drug test for codeine, which he said was an ingredient in the cough syrup that was prescribed by a doctor. He then was arrested on a DUI charge in 2014, earning a one-year suspension that later was reduced to 10 games. Gordon checked himself into rehab after the arrest, though in the video he says it wasn’t a serious attempt to get clean.

“My first thought was: ‘This is a publicity stunt. This is just going to help the media deal with me. It’s going to help the fans be able to deal with it. I don’t know what they’re so worked up for anyway.’ ” he said. “I definitely wasn’t listening. I definitely wasn’t paying attention. ‘Okay, it’s a business move. Alright, cool, let’s do it.’ I was there for like 14, 15 days, it was a joke. It was pretty much a vacation. I had a bunch of good gourmet meals and took a little break and then got right back to work. And then led the league in receiving yards.”

[NFL Power Rankings — Week 5: It’s the Chiefs and then the Packers . . . and then what?]

Gordon returned from that 10-game suspension in November 2014 and played in five games for the Browns. On the night before the sixth — in which he needed to play to achieve limited free agency the next year — he partied late into the night and slept through the team’s walk-through the next morning.

“The sixth game, end of the season, stayed out late but the thing is we had to be up in the morning for like a 7:30 team meeting.

“I didn’t wake up until 10 o’clock, 10:15, coming out of a blackout, I’m getting a bunch of texts and calls, from coaches like ‘Where are you at, we’re headed to the tarmac already.’ I’m like, ‘Aw sh–,’ so drove up to the tarmac, and our general manager at the time, he kind of pulls me to the side and talks to me, he’s like, ‘I’m sorry Josh, but you’re not going on this plane.’ I was watching the plane go off and it was like, well, ‘F — it, let’s go home, let’s party.’ ”

Gordon is working out in Gainesville, Fla., with former U.S. track star Michael Johnson, who also is his financial adviser. This summer, Gordon said, he found his rock bottom and checked himself into rehab again.

“I found myself around the city of Gainesville just wandering, looking for a drug dealer,” he said. “Looking for people on the street corner, whatever, smelled like weed, somebody that looked like they had something, asking random people, knocking on like smokeshop storefronts seeing where I could find some stuff at. I was just looking for something, some type of relief. I was walking down [the boulevard] at 11:30 at nighttime, and that night in particular I couldn’t find anybody with drugs and I just began to have a flashback and remembered all the negative things that have happened in my life that transpired, like what led up to this point? How did it get this bad? Like it’s so dark out here, I’m all alone, what the hell am I doing? I was scared. I was scared for my life.”

Gordon also alleged that his drug use was first enabled in college by one of his Baylor coaches, who he says provided him with a masking agent so he could pass drug tests.

“I’ve been enabled most of my life honestly,” he said. “I’ve been enabled by coaches, teachers, professors, everybody pretty much gave me a second chance just because of my ability. Not too long after I got arrested for possession of marijuana at Baylor, one of my coaches came by saying: ‘You are going to get drug tested by the compliance office. This is how it’s going to work, this is what they are going to do. If they do call you in, here goes these bottles of detox.’

“He showed me how to drink them, showed me how to take them. That was my real first experience with getting over on the system and that authority not really being taken seriously because it was kind of being guided by somebody that’s employed by the same university.”

Gordon still has to apply for reinstatement again, and likely will be suspended for four games upon his return. But at least based on outward appearances, he’s taking this comeback attempt seriously.

“I need to live out my amends. I need to try to make right for all my past transgressions and mistakes and show and prove I can be a better person, I can be a better man,” he said. “Somebody who is accountable, reliable because I know what’s on the other side of that. If given the opportunity, I believe I can prove my worth.”

He's either getting better with the BS

Or

He's finally hit rock bottom

Hopefully for his sake .. hes hit rock bottom and is going to take sobriety seriously ...

if so, good for u Josh and good luck avoiding the new challenges and pitfalls that await in this stage of cleaning up ...

https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/917783154978631680

Uninterrupted is partially owned by LeBron. Maverick Carter is mentoring Josh Gordon.

I've never trusted Josh Gordon to stay clean. I still don't, but I am really hoping that he can. I hate seeing anyone screw their life up that bad.

So disturbing to hear his story. Addiction is real. Truly hope he bounces back and EARNS an opportunity to suit up again.

There's a saying in the program; you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?

That was a well produced video, and JG sounds very humbled and sincere. I don't doubt for a second that he is humbled and sincere. What he has gone through (put himself through) would be humbling to anyone. The problem is that once he's off the bottom and things are going good again, can he resist the temptation to believe he's won. You don't win against addiction. You learn to live without giving in to it. And that is never harder than when things are going good.

He absolutely should be given another chance. ONE other chance. This is it Josh. Walk the walk, or keep on walking.

In case anyone is wondering wondering about his application for reinstatement:



Link

It will be interesting to see if this works.

Goodell could very well watch this documentary, and decide to give him a chance.

However, this right here would be it. He’s gonna attach this video to Gordon forever, because the moment he screws it up, that would most likely be a perma-ban.

For Gordon’s sake, he better be serious with this video and finally get his head straight.

JG is only 26.

I think if given the chance, he could have a Cris Carter type career or better... CC played until he was 37.

man boobs and a gut in the vid...

No way not even close. Carter never missed multiple games, let alone an entire season. Carter went to the Vikings in his 4th year. What is this, Josh's 6 year in the NFL? I don't know or care anymore. I give him less than a 10% chance.

Um... Did you watch the video?

I did and although you probably can't tell if you saw me I've been lifting weights for years & years. My 'expert' opinion is no man boobs on JG - it's muscle.



“I've used alcohol on many, many occasions. Xanax on many occasions. Cocaine several occasions. Marijuana... most of my life. Codeine cough syrup for methazine – very prevalent from where I'm from.”
___________________________________________

Only time will tell if he can stay clean & sober this time round. Good luck!

When the video was filmed he had been in rehab for 70 days. I have never been to rehab, but I'm guessing they don't have top notch gyms.

j/c

Gordon has always had the ability to say all of the right things to get the fans excited. Then he has always done the wrong thing. I'm sure we all hope this time is different. But seeing is believing.

I was curious how JG has been able to have such a good PR campaign post-rehab with no agent. Now I see it clearly. Mav's a genius.

i guess that week he been out made him nfl ready?

Prediction: JG gets reinstated soon and the Browns immediately trade him to the NYG for a 2nd pick in 2018. Sashi loves stockpiling his picks.

For the waiting for next year crowd, they are elated.

I am probably going to get a lot of grief for this, but what's new?

I have been reading posts about rooting for JG and how the Browns should stick w/him because it is the right thing to do. People think that we should care about him as a human being and the Browns should too.

That's nice. And I agree.

Then, my cynical side starts to remember the reactions of the very same posters w/other dudes who have messed up.

Anyone remember Johnny Manziel? I really don't remember the masses clamoring for him getting help and support. In fact, I remember many of the same posters who say JG should get another chance demanding that we cut Manziel immediately because he was such an embarrassment to the franchise and city. LMAO.........that is classic.

Then, we have Devon Bess or whatever his name was. The dude flipped out. Had drug and mental issues. The masses were very adamant that we cut him immediately. I didn't see the humane aspect w/him. Did y'all?

Who was the offensive lineman we got who got a DUI? Was it Bailey? I forget his name. But anyway........people trashed his ass immediately and still do.

My conclusion: I think a lot of you are insincere. You don't really give a rat's ass about the "person." You care only about whether or not the guy can help the Browns due to his talent.

That's cool, but please stop pretending this is a "humane" issue. It isn't. It's all about the winning.

And to take it a step further.......Josh himself talked about how he has always been enabled. I have accused many of you of that in the past in the JG situation. And while you may attack me and mock me, I fully expect that you will not get on JG's case for him saying he has been enabled.

Here is my bottom line: Those of you who want to support JG and then ridicule other players in similar situations are really part of the reason JG has the problems he does. Enabling a person who has such issues does not produce the desired results any of the participants are looking for.

Bash away!

Nobody here has the power to "enable" Josh Gordon. We don't even know him.

No offense, but I think that is a narrow-minded viewpoint.

I care somewhat about the person, but if it's a major talent I care more.
I admit that. Most of these guys and players on other sports teams that I root for, I don't GAF about them and vice versa.
Manziel was dead to me when he was named the starter before the bye in 2015, then partied in Texas when he shoulda been preparing.

Guys like him I don't give a crap about. I don't really freakin care about josh really, I mean it'd be nice if he straightened out his life but my main concern is that I want him to be a weapon for Hogan.

Garbage.

lamp.............you are always honest. You were not one of the guys I was talking about.

Oh, I knew that. After your post I suddenly felt like being up-front about the issue you raised. All good.

How so?

Are you saying you guys backed Bess? Did you back Manziel? Did you back Bailey or whatever his name was?

You don't give a rat's ass about the person. It's about talent. Let's get real!

If we can get a 2nd round pick for him, and don't take it, Sashi deserves to get fired. There is no guarantee, whatsoever, that Gordon will ever play another down in the NFL. He is signed for one more year, after which the decision would be to re-sign a guy who has been suspended for the best part of the last 3 years. It's time to move on.

Yeah, I kind of alluded to in my earlier post that I'm a selfish fan and I really care about him getting on and staying on the football field.

If you feel the need to throw that out there, that's fine. I think it's fair and I admit that's how I think about it, mostly. I don't remember how I posted about Manziel, but I don't recall giving him anywhere near the leash that I give to Gordon (though I might have see-sawed on the issue, as I can do from time to time).

I will add one thing, though. More than anything else, I'm just tired of the Gordon stories. If he comes back clean... super! We really aren't in a position to walk proven talent out the door when they're so cheap. If he's still doing what got him into these messes... well, that sucks for him but there have been how many draft classes since he joined the Browns full of guys that actually want to play NFL football.

I'm sorta with you on this one. The way I see it, there are 2 separate decisions with the Gordon situation. The first is him coming back into the league, and what to do with him at that point. That's a no-brainer... you get him on the team and in game shape as fast as possible. The second decision comes up if he actually makes it back into the league, and actually stays clean long enough to accrue a season. The decision whether or not to give him a second contract is a really sticky situation. Assuming best case scenario (he comes back clean, stays clean for a year and plays really well), I still don't know how someone could hand him a second contract.

and we'll draft a midget WR with questionable hands that spent his entire college career wide-open and never having to run routes.

I'll just say this: Yes, talent matters. Absolutely. It always does and always will. If he didn't have talent, we wouldn't care one way or the other, sober or high. To even think that talent level isn't ever an issue is absurd, and if anyone claims that it isn't, I'd say they're high and lying through their teeth.


As for enabling: it's an understandable sentiment, but completely inapplicable here. None of us have the power to enable him as none of us have the power to make consequences go away; anyone on here thinking that they do is delusional, and probably a narcissist, lol. We can only support him or not support him. There IS a clear distinction between being supportive and wanting to give chances after dues have been paid and enabling, which is bending rules and the system to create chances or eliminate the possibility of consequences.

I wasn't referring to you, oober. You've been very honest and straightforward on your stances w/him.

I love having us fire for something not happening yet...lol

Addiction is cunning, baffling and powerful.

That could not have been better said.