DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Josh Gordon applies for reinstatement

Report: Josh Gordon applies for reinstatement
Charean Williams
33 mins ago

Free agent receiver Josh Gordon officially submitted his reinstatement letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Gordon hopes to be with a team for training camp.

The NFL has randomly drug tested Gordon the past three months, per Schefter, with Gordon passing all his tests.

The NFL conditionally reinstated Gordon last season, and the Seahawks expected him back on the field. But the league rescinded the conditional reinstatement, and in January, Gordon again was suspended indefinitely.

The Seahawks released Gordon on March 4, so he could play in the Fan Controlled Football league.

Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards in 2013, but in seven seasons since then, he has played in only 33 regular-season games while missing 79 because of a series of lengthy suspensions. Gordon last played in December of 2019.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/07/02/report-josh-gordon-applies-for-reinstatement/amp/

This should be a Hard No the moment the paperwork is submitted. No delay.

LOL If he shows skills, someone will pick him up.... That is if the NFL let's it happen

How many chances has he had now...

Green Bay will snag him to appease Aaron Rodgers. lmao

I wonder how much money he owes his agent at this point. Dude was floating Josh's existence for a while, totally funding his last comeback (and P.R. campaign) with the Browns, and I believe he kept working it to get Josh his other comebacks since then.

I wonder if the agent can write it off as a bad investment or something, lol

Either way, there is ZERO reason to give him another chance at this point.

At least he’ll be fresh.

I like Josh Gordon and feel bad for him. I don’t see how he can ever contribute positively to an NFL team.

He needs to keep playing because of an unfavorable court ruling from some years ago that ensures he has no money, because whatever he earns go to someone else, if I recall correctly.
Just a conclusion I drew from whatever I read some 5-7 years ago,
Since the courts won't let him earn any money, without giving it away to others, he'll keep trying to play forever, because he probably likes to eat.

Priceless!

I love the fact that I support a team that doesn't need to take a risk on a guy lik- er...


Damn, kids- 'now' is whole lot better than 'then,' ain't it?

I say reinstate him. If some team is dumb enough to take a flier on him, then it's on them. He physically will not meet the rigors of the NFL.

The drug policy seems pretty archaic as it is. If Gordon wants to eat blow for breakfast, but can perform, does it really matter? It's a game! He's not performing thoracic surgery.

Would you be good if he landed with the Ravens or Steelers? I know he will almost assuredly screw up again but be careful what we wish for... I don't want the one season he plays every game and returns to his all-star talent form to be a thorn in our side.

A dream scenario! Neither franchise is desperate enough to make that mistake.....unfortunately.

2013 was a long time ago.

Josh made a lot of mistakes, no question but everyone is deserving of a chance. Yup, he blew it over and over he blew it. But to my knowledge all the harm he ever did was to himself. I don't believe he is a bad person he had a real ruff start in life and yes I do believe he deserves another shot.

WE GOTTA GET THAT GUY

He's had plenty of chances...

I don't know if he deserves another shot - he's had a lot of chances. But I still hope he sorts his schtick out and sorts his life out.

Fair point. I think the only argument could be that he's taking a roster spot from someone that actually deserves to be there.

He'll never regain that form. He pretty much admitted that he was high during his best performances. He needed that edge to get the most out of his physical skills. When was the last time he actually strung multiple good games together? He has (had superhuman raw talent, but let his demons quash the opportunity to hone it or keep it fresh. It's more than likely gone for good.

j/c

I'm all for second chances. Sometimes even third chances. It's nice to be able to hold out hope that someone can turn things around. But to me Josh Gordon is out of chances. At some point accountability comes into play. Enough is enough and he's gone well past enough.

I agree but there is this little thing known as, the kid can play... and Play great! He's got skills that are far and away better than most. When he is available that is.

I like Josh,, he seems like a good guy.. His teammates over the years have said that same. Not sure why he can't keep clean... It's not like he is using addictive substances... (or do I have that wrong)

Yes, you have that wrong.

So, he was using more addictive stuff?

The Josh Gordon situation is a divisive situation, but, since he's not trying to come to the Browns I think people should mostly let it alone.
4 things.

1. Josh Can and could play ball at a noticeably good level.
2. Alleged or rumored or actual, (I never followed any of this that close), drug use had people turn against him and turn against his opportunity to earn a living playing football.

3. At some point, whether a custody case or divorce or something, a court pretty much took like 90% of anything JG could have or earn for the forseable furture from him because of the behaviors.

4. At one particular weekend in time, everyone publicly and all of a sudden changed their comments about Josh from endlessly condemning his alleged drug behavior to saying words in support of him, and support of him overcoming his problems, a whole, get well Josh, all of a sudden, in one weekend. (Which led me personally to think he flipped out and tried to off himself, but nobody was going to say something like that publicly.)

So, at the end I think it doesn't matter much to me as a Football fan who they do or don't let play football, unless it effects my team, and pretty much I figure, any off field stuff? Is for the legal system to decide,
In my opinion,
If someones eligible to work at a gas station, legally,
and they can play football on the field at the best level in the entire world skill wise,
then they aren't taking any opportunity away from someone else who "deserves" it.

Because I think the only "deserve" comes from someone's abitlity to perform the game on the field.

(Otherwise, where is the line? Moral something judgement means the fictional character from 'father knows best' or eqivilant = better at jumping cars on a motorcycle than Evel Kinevil because society decides who is more deserving of the opportunity to draw thousands and jump motorcycles.
that would be Bull!!!! with a capital B and not a world I'd want to live in.

The biggest problem I have with the whole situation, (mostly because literally "millions" of people get caught up in drugs and though it's a bad for society thing I feel it's a mind my own busisness type situation)
can't fix stupid,
So the biggest injustice I think in the whole thing
is the courts made it impossible for dude to make a living, so much so that he has to try and do this impossible task of stay an NFL talent beyond his years,

because some (unjust imo) court, decided to base his amount to pay back a debt to other people on his abilities to make money playing football in more youthful years.

^ And I don't even know if that's the case, I'm just assuming it is, but, in this type of assumption,
it sounds just like something a court would do.

So, God bless him in his struggles against haters,
and God bless him in his struggles agasinst the drug problems to overcome.
And God bless and help anyone wronged by him who really needs healing.

marijuana
alcohol
xanax
codeine
cocaine
hydrocodone
oxycodone
adderall


And that's just what he has admitted as repeated abuse. With a gameday ritual of "bong rips and shots of whiskey"...

That changes my thinking... He should be banned for life

I think he has untreated anxiety.

He once said he used to get high before games. He has performance anxiety.

Why?

... granted, with his repeated infractions this is essentially his punishment... but I'd love to know why you think it deserves a ban for life when other players with far worse off-field infractions have gotten far less. IIRC, Ray Rice didn't even get a lifelong ban... no team wanted to touch him. Aldon Smith played after his domestic violence stuff.

How many times did any of those players commit the same infraction over and over and over again?

Yeah, that's why I put that little disclaimer. He's essentially cobbled together a lifetime ban with his ongoing infractions. I just don't see how non-PED drug infractions (however many) should get a higher punishment than when someone KO's a significant other.

The government needs to legalize all drugs, tax them, and make them easy to access... Then the NFL could do away with their ridiculous mj rule and just let the cream rise to the top while the junkies cull themselves from the herd. FREE JOSH GORDON!




joking but not joking.

Because those are the rules in the NFL's drug policy. I had parameters involving drug tests in my employment. Most people do. People have choices. They make choices. There are consequences for those choices.

I think the idea of "trying to understand it" or "I just don't see how" sort of undermines the entire topic. I understand why people do that but is that actually the point?

Is the point whether you agree to conditions of your employment and in this case, even contractual obligations, and then in hind sight say, "Yeah, but it's not fair" or, "Yeah, but I don't see why"?

Or is the point that you signed a contract agreeing to certain parameters and it's your obligation to live up to that contractual obligation or be subject to suffer the consequences of your choices and actions?

You seem to see it as the former while I see it as the latter of the two.

We have a similar situation involving an Olympic athlete right now and I feel the same way about that. She knew the rules and decided to break them. She is now suffering the consequences.

The short answer is neither. With the benefit of hindsight, Josh Gordon got the punishment(s) he deserved as they were outlined at the time. But that doesn't mean we can't then remove the player from the conversation and talk about the rules themselves (I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired of debating JG's specific set of circumstances).

Daman got a sorta rundown of JG's list of infractions and said he deserved a lifetime ban. I found that curious because a quick Google search said that only 3 people in the history of the league have received lifetime bans (and 1 was quickly overturned). I'm not trying to dogpile or anything... I'm not trying to make him defend his statement... just explain his reasoning behind it. IMO, if someone beats the snot out of their SO, or has accumulated a rap sheet like Aldon Smith, or has the kind of reputation as Vontaze Burfict (short version: hurt people), then why should someone who's only hurting/sabotaging himself get a worse punishment? BTW, Burfict only got a year for repeated dangerous/flagrant hits.

I'm not debating the merits. I'm debating the leeway the NFL has and how many times you can be suspended for breaking the drug abuse policy before the NFL has the ability to give you a lifetime ban.

I also will not engage in trying to compare on the field infractions to off the field infractions. I often times disagree with the punishments the NFL hands down. While you say, "Josh Gordon got the punishment he deserves", the very thing we are discussing is "What punishment does he deserve"?

At some point when an offender does the same thing over and over again, he is a habitual offender. It's almost as if he's rubbing your nose in it. He's giving you lip service but changing nothing. Each time you commit the same offense, the punishment for that offense is supposed to increase. Not remain the same or lessened. That's simply the way things work.

So how many times should an NFL player be able to break the substance abuse policy and be allowed back in the league? Five times? Six times? Eight? Ten? At what point is enough, enough?

In short, the NFL - namely, the owners - will wrangle the rules to get whatever talent benefits them.

How many chances will Josh Gordon get? A current maximum of 32 would be my guess. As long as he has the potential to bring excitement that sells tickets and jerseys and gives a franchise a better chance at winning, owners will go to bat for him behind closed doors. They'll be in Goodell's ear.

Aldon Smith or Ray Rice? Same thing.
The NFL has to make a show of caring and doing the right thing, but in the end, they don't really care unless public opinion and outcry demands that they appear to care.... and, let's face it, that's all the general public REALLY wants. The *appearance* of giving a damn. A show of contrition, a sacrifice to the jesters in the courts of public opinion.


All that said, if it were up to me, he'd be out of chances in my league.... but, I also don't stand to make any money off of it, so I have no other motivations on the matter.

I thought it was just Mary Jane,, but if it's all those things,, NOPE.. gotta end it here.

Where have you been through all of this?

Clearly I didn't waste my time worrying about Gordon...