Josh Gordon Does Not Deserve Your Sympathy
Enough with the faux outrage for Josh Gordon, he does not deserve the amount of energy being devoted to his stupidity. Gordon is a wide receiver currently under contract with the Cleveland Browns. Though he hasn’t suited up for the Browns in the past several years due to his compulsion to smoke marijuana and continually fail NFL administered drug tests.
Libertarians advocating laissez-faire personal liberty with regard to drug use are misconstruing the position he is in. Gordon is a football player. He’s not a Civil Rights icon, he’s not a philanthropist, he’s not rebuilding broken down neighborhoods — he’s a football player who needs help.
The best help he can receive would be a lifetime ban from the NFL. Why? Simple: He doesn’t care about the NFL or his future! His actions have made that clear. If he cared, he would prioritize football. Millions of young men across the country sweat, bleed, and sacrifice for the opportunity that Gordon has repeatedly squandered.
Why does he ‘need help’ as I suggest? Because he has a fairly easy path to earning millions of dollars, but instead, he consistently opts to violate policies that minimize his earnings potential.
Drug stigmatization is real. Drug addiction is also real. However, these two critical issues are mutually exclusive. Folks concerned with Gordon’s ability to partake in extracurricular activities in his free time are missing the point: Gordon is employed by an institution with established rules. He can either find a new profession with an employer apathetic to his drug use or he can go into business for himself. But the NFL’s intent is to ensure the multimillion dollar investment of young athletes is not compromised by activities that risk their health — that’s a reasonable concern. If you disagree, then go make super risky investments with your life savings then reevaluate your stance on the NFL’s drug policy.
Like any other industry, when the rules of the institution are violated, violators are justifiably punished. What part of that is so difficult to understand? People coming to Gordon’s defense are more concerned with Gordon’s well being than Gordon is. THAT is the problem. If he prioritized FOOTBALL over his extracurricular activities, he would not once again be in the headlines for his foolishness. Gordon is a repeat offender, and he’s had more than enough time to seek help for his addiction.
Throwing millions of dollars into a trashcan, and then setting that trashcan ablaze would be unforgivable. Every time Gordon fails a drug test he is setting that metaphorical trashcan on fire, and that fire will not be extinguished till the NFL bans him, for life.
