Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon can’t necessarily be considered a victim of ridiculous rules surrounding NFL player policy conduct. He knew full well that it was against league rules to smoke marijuana and decided to put his career in jeopardy multiple times by acting in an immature way.
So when Gordon found out on Wednesday that his one-year suspension was being upheld, what did he (and the NFLPA) do? What any mature person would...blame the NFL.
I’d like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Browns organization and our fans. I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing officer didn’t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case. I would like to sincerely thank the people who have been incredibly supportive of me during this challenging time, including my family, my agent, my union, my legal team, and the Cleveland Browns staff.
If that’s not tone deaf, I am not sure what is. While Gordon did apologize to those impacted the most by his actions, he took this chance (through the NFLPA) to go on the attack against the NFL.
We understand, Josh.
The NFL rules are archaic and must be changed.
They are also rules that are set in place and that you have a full understanding of. How about attempting to follow those rules next time before passing judgment at the governing body?
As it is, Gordon will miss the entire 2014 season because 1) he decided to partake in some recreational drug use, 2) he didn’t follow NFL rules and 3) those NFL rules are archaic.
In reality, there are no winners here.
Photo: USA Today