DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Josh Gordon "Stepping Away For Football" .... For Mental Health ...

"Battered Fan Syndrome."



We've been like those hapless 'spousal abuse heroines' in those Lifetime Network movies my wife sometimes watches.

Our fandom fuels our vulnerability/gullibility. We believe that he'll stop beating us and cheating on us because we NEED to believe it. The 'illusion of love' is good enough for us, because our self-esteem has been so eroded we've become optimistic about 5-11.

Because we know what 4-12 feels like. And 1-15. And... well, you know- that one, too.

Until recently, Our Man has been so awful, a 'good Sunday' was one when he only got drunk, cussed us out, and passed out on the 35 yard line. A 'bad Sunday' was when he talked s# during the week, then let the next door neighbor's lone RB put up 300 rushing yards on him. 300 yards. One playa. In ONE game. Got his ass beat down in front of the entire cul-de-sac.


We were married to that worthless PoS.
We believed him because we couldn't believe in anything else. Wearing stripes, black, yellow or purple was never an option for us.

That's what being a Browns fan has been like. I've used this analogy before: Browns Fans have been emotional and psychological abuse victims for almost 20 years.

So, it's not so much of a stretch for some to believe an individual on the team when the whole effing team itself has been teasing and abusing us for two effing decades.

_______________________

I'm on record here as being in Josh Gordon's corner. More than once, I wrote about how hard I was pulling for him. How I love a great human interest story. How I always root for the long shot. I saw a bit of my (younger) self in him- as I went through a 'lost' period when I was his age. I always wanted him to find a way to write his story in ways similar to how I've been able to write mine.

That said, when Dorsey traded JG to NE, I was already kinda resigned to it. I was disappointed that the story I wanted to see played out didn't happen, but I also understood. The Browns did more for this young man than anyone else in his life. For years. I like that we did that. That we treated him like f#n Family. That kind of commitment has always been important to me. The folks at My Job treat me (us) like this. It's important: people live best when their work is also their tribe.

Surprisingly, this mindset is also why it didn't take me too long to be OK with Josh being gone. Browns did right by him in every measurable way- and far beyond what most teams (and even many fans on here) might do. Even seeing him as a Pat on Total Access highlights, I was like: "Cool. Glad he's producing. Good for him. But now, we have other guys in the tribe..."

_________

I'm sorry to see this young man's professional story take this turn. When he arrived, I had such high hopes. I was also emotionally invested, because I'm a sucker for 'Redemption Stories.'

But truth be told- I've invested as much time and support as any other casual fan might... and I'm OK with cutting ties. I wish him well, because:

1. he seems to be a nice person, with no psychopathy or sociopathy. I can't remember a single report of team mates not liking/supporting him.
2. his story thread is woven into my life's tapestry, and I care about everyone who's occupied time on my consciousness.
3. he can still become a success story, even if it happens outside the NFL.

I'm pretty sure that Josh Gordon's time in the NFL is coming to a close. Pity and shame. In the words of my cello mentor: "There is no greater sin in God's eyes than to waste the talents he's gifted us."

I hope that he finds a positive way to navigate Life... because he still has (possibly) more time ahead of him than he does behind him. That time should amount to something- for someone. That someone should be him.

A life lived without meaning is a waste of Time, Oxygen... and DNA.



.02

Just ban him for life. This is old. I hope he gets it together.

Pull for him, support him, but stop this cycle.

I feel sorry for him, but also have no sympathy too. It's weird. In all likelihood he's done forever.
Think how much money he's left on the table.

I just keep thinking about how much talent he has .... and how he has wasted it so completely. It's really sad. If not for the love of, and desire for drugs, he could have been one of the best of all time.

It's not even that for me, he couldn't even make it to a 2nd payday. He wasn't going to get Odell-like money this offseason, but it would have been more than his rookie deal. Just stay clean long enough to earn $5-10 million and then smoke/snort your way into retirement. If you're smart with the cash, it could last you forever.

Something must have been going on for a few weeks. On one of the shows yesterday, they had mentioned he had two tough weeks and he wasn't even on the field during that last drive to tie against the Steelers.

Oh well, not our problem anymore.

It's not total BS.. addiction is very much a mental health issue.. and, to be honest, I still feel pretty bad for him. Dude is just in the wrong profession for his personal problem.

If he was a partner in a law firm and made $5 million a year and smoked some weed nobody would give a damn as long as he was still able to do his job.

Yet you agree to the terms of your employment.

And let's face it, his statement about his mental health was just a BS PR statement knowing his suspension was coming. I'm not saying he doesn't have some issues, but the timing of his statement was so obvious that it was nothing more than to get out in front of the suspension story.

Yes you do Pit.. it's not like he had a ton of options. It's not like he had the option to be a brain surgeon and chose football instead.. God blessed him with tremendous physical talent perfectly situated to be a WR in the NFL.. the NFL is a monopoly.. it's not like there is another firm or employer he can go to for a similar opportunity.


Of course it was. The young man is watching his very lucrative future go down the drain (again) over something he obviously can't control so he is trying to do whatever damage control he can. I can't fault him for that.

Do you honestly think he sits around weighing his options and thinking about pros and cons and makes a rational and informed decision to take the risk of destroying his life? If you do, then you have zero understanding of mental health issues and addiction.

This is generally where the disconnect occurs.. rational people look at situations like this and apply our own thought process and decision making ability to the situation and wonder why in the hell somebody would make such a stupid decision..... people who have these problems are incapable of thinking like that... so let's start there.

The guy has had more chances than 99% of the people that so much as sniff an NFL roster. How many of those were his "final chance"? After all the second chances he got with us, he went to one of the most stable franchises in football, right now. He caught passes from someone with a legit argument for best QB, ever. He could've been Randy Moss 2.0, just bigger and faster.

No, the guy deserves absolutely 0 sympathy.

And just in case the above paragraph doesn't do it for you, the guy is a liar/manipulator. Who is actually buying the whole "I need to take care of my mental health" line of BS? He leaves right when he's about to be suspended... what a coincidence. He left when he was angling to get out of Cleveland. Mental health advocates should be crucifying this guy, not staying in his corner. He did everything he could before to slip away from consequences, and that's the same thing he's doing now.

Why does everyone ASSume its weed? ....

Because that has historically been his problem.. but you are right, it is an ASSumption.

I lost both a brother and a nephew to addiction. I dealt with both of them their entire life. While it was a very rough thing to watch, I lived with the daily and weekly excuses for their behavior. I listened to the excuses as to why they refused to get the help for the disease that eventually killed them both.

I know a lot about addiction. First hand. And have paid a much larger price for it than many have.

So while I know the battle they face, I also know how they try to cover it up. Just like Josh tried to do with his statement.

Was wondering if i missed sumptin ...

Ty sir ...

Well it's a safe bet that it's weed, but I get your point that it could be something more serious than weed. I don't know that answer, although I wouldn't bet against it. Obviously the dude is severely depressed and is self medicating with any simulant available to him. Whose to say what exactly that is. Codeine blunts could really help someone sleep lol

Not a world i ever really ventured into ... my entire drug career consists of getting high 3 or 4 times and falling asleep after laughing at stupid crap while eating all the Doritos at the party ... *L* ...

Tried coke one time in Hawaii ... they gave me the straw ... i cleared my nose and all the coke went off the table and into the shag carpet (i’m Old ... *LOL*) ... they put some more on the table and it burned the hell out of my nose and it hyped me up even more than i all ready am normally ... they had no clue what ADHD was when i grew up ... i was the POSTER CHILD for it .. between the burning nose and extra hype i didn’t need that wasn’t anythng i wanted to re-visit ..

Tried mushrooms once in Hawaii ... that was interesting .. there were parts of that i liked ... the paranoi wasnt so fun ... woke up in a life gaurd tower on Waikiki beach (this was in 1979 .. i’m sure its a different place today where that would be impossible .. ) ... wasn’t quite sure how i got there ... needless to say i saw no reason to do that again ... some of my friends at the time took pride in blacking out ... especially the marines i knew ... i never understood that ...

Glad its a world i never ventured into ... witnessed/heard plenty of horror stories like this one but i’ve never heard a succesful person ever once say i couldnt have done it w/o weed or any other drug ... *LOL* ...

To each there own ...

So, does that mean we keep the fifth and still give up the 7th?

Someone in this and the Pure Football thread mentioned that 2 days after the trade, the conditional 7th rounder was changed to be non-conditional. Meaning, we get their 5th and they get our 7th for Josh.

For a guy we were going to cut, that's not too bad. Who knows, maybe we get a kicker or returner with that pick.

He has admitted to prescription drug abuse, cocaine, and other hard drugs.

I doubt it's "just" pot.

There are employers all over this country, with good paying jobs open, and no one to fill them .... because people can't pass a drug screen. How sad is that ... that some people would rather get high than have a good paying job?

clearly NE had suspicions ... they tried to trade for Demaryuis Thomas

I would bet my last dollar it's not just weed. ANYBODY could quit smoking weed for millions of dollars. Would almost guarantee he's an alcoholic and still drinking his "purple drank" or "sizzurp" (codeine drinks).

j/c:

It's amazing that people think it's "just some weed." LOL....

It'd be a lot sadder if we weren't at virtually full employment. If anything it looks bad on the Employers part.

????????

Just a guess, but...

It has worked before.

Doctor's prescription for codeine, "One too many drinks" before driving, didn't know he couldn't drink while the NFL season was still going on, second-hand smoke, and so on.

How many people defended Josh after all of those incidents?

Second hand smoke was the best one... "Were you locked in a phone booth for two hours with someone blowing in shotguns?"

I liked the cough syrup one. And all the dolts bought it.

Right? I always try to put myself in others shoes...

You better believe that after two suspensions, I'm making a call before I take Vitamin C, let alone "cough syrup".

But sweet, innocent Josh... we all wanted to believe he was just getting a raw deal.

The second-hand smoke one was interesting in how his camp cleverly took advantage of the confusion of different types of testing, for example comparing the NFL's allowable levels of a specific metabolite to another institution's threshold on a screening test, searching for multiple metabolites.

Then there was the time when he got a DUI shortly before meeting with Goodell for a reinstatement hearing. It reminds me of a scene from a famous comedy. "Just when I think you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this.."

Only problem is he didn't redeem himself.

I think it would be an interesting conversation [provided we had intelligent people responding] to discuss the line between caring/supporting versus enabling/excusing.

There was a time when I wanted to believe Josh, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. However, the 4th or 5th time of blatantly lying about his drug use was enough for me.

To a large degree, we enabled and excused.

It's not just us as Browns fans. It's a societal thing. We value winning football games to an almost pathological degree. Compare the salary of a great player vs a great school teacher.

It's sad. We excuse reprehensible behavior from players as long as they can help our team win, drastically lower the academic and behavioral standards of our schools as long as it helps us compete in tournaments, etc.

Gordon was, at least for one year, an elite receiver. He had a freakish blend of size, speed, and athleticism and was under contract for the Browns at a very affordable rate. As long as those things were true, a sizable part of the fan base was always going to be in his corner.

It wouldn't matter if he admitted that he shot guns at people as long as the hope was still alive that he would contribute to winning football games. If the Browns cut ties with him, there would be other teams ready to give him another chance.

Employers are hurting their business by not adapting for the current work force. Honestly, most of these Employers can rarely pay for an appropriate work force.

I wanted to believe Josh because I wanted to believe IN Josh. In the inner strength we all possess. I wanted him to rise above his demons. I cared for both selfish and selfless reasons. I wanted him on the field. He was a dominant player. Generational size, speed, skill level. HOF talent. I wanted him to be that for us, the Browns. I also wanted him to succeed as a human, an athlete, an artist and in any other endevour he undertook. Because when it comes down to it when he excels, when anyone excels, we all are made better for it. Directly or indirectly our lives are better. Humanity is better.
I had no hand in enabling him. None of us on this board had or have any power over the kid. I never made excuses for him. I do think the cannabis ban in the NFL is absurd. Rules are rules yada yada.

What it comes down to is I’m sad for the kid. I have never walked in his shoes. I can only imagine what his life is like. Money is money. Fame us fame. Addiction cares about no class or race or upbringing or or or. When it rears It’s head you’re in for a battle.
Ultimately I hope nothing but the best for Josh. I hold no I’ll will. May he beat back these demons that haunt his life and gain back control before it’s too late. Who cares about football.

Get well Josh.

Nice post, deep thoughts. I agree with the overriding points although might quibble on a couple specifics. You know how it goes.

I hope the guy can figure it out and live a good life.

There is a reason why employers do drug tests. They save money on insurance, both health and liability. Pot is still illegal in the US, despite the fact that some states are not prosecuting for certain levels.

I wonder if employees would be willing to sign a waiver that says that if they are involved in an accident at work, and they have any trace of any drugs in their system, then they have to pay 100% of their own care, and all damages they cause? Of course not. To some people, getting high is more important than having a good paying job. That's just sad.

To add to your thoughts, many, possibly even MOST places of business - if there is a workplace injury, a drug and alcohol test is required. Fail the test? Fired.

Heck, even our high school has mandatory drug testing for all students in extra curricular activities - sports, band, quiz team, etc.

First failed test? You have to sit out 20% of the season (or next season) and go to a drug/alcohol assessment. 2nd failed test? 40%. 3rd failed test? See ya.

Yes, it's mainly an insurance reason for drug testing, which is why companies have their own ways of doing drugs tests (Some do it at hire, others wait for an accident to occur).

This is why I bring up the fact that they can't afford their work force. In my experience the only jobs that drug test make between 20 and 40 thousand a year. You can find pretty much any job for 30k a year if you're smart. So why would someone leave a basic job to a harder one for a small raise?

I recently finished consulting with a distributor who started at $12 an hour, had very poor management. Their quarterly turnover rate was 30%. They couldn't understand why they couldn't retain their employees. I told them flat out, that only junkies would do this work for so little in this economy. If they wanted reliable workers that they would have to pay for them. That's why I laugh when I general laborers advertising a starting rate under $17. People don't want to work hard. That's why people work in an office whose AC is always set in the 60's. Hell, even basic office jobs start at $15. At virtually full employment, employers do need to pay employees more if they want them. The demand for cheap labor might be there, but the supply is little and poisoned by junkies.

I think Americans are so stupid that they'll sign about anything if they have someone in their ear. You should know that, didn't you sell cars

Just another thought, most hospitals now have banned tobacco usage, a far more addictive drug than weed, but have no problem even finding the lowliest of workers. Why do you think that is?

j/c:

I'm not sure some things that are being stated as facts are actually factual.