Josh Gordon’s Open Letter: Another Reaction
I have mixed feelings about Mr. Gordon’s open letter. I’d like to share them with my fellow Browns fans.
First, he makes a good point that those who criticize him haven’t taken the trouble to get to know him. It’s hard to argue with that, and the way he expresses himself on the subject is compelling.
But, as to his problems with substances, I part ways with him. Nothing in one’s background justifies untreated addiction. Once a person knows he’s an alcoholic or an addict, it is up to him to recover. Mr. Gordon’s failure to do so has hampered him all through his career. Nothing has really changed in that regard.
I would suggest that Mr. Gordon get busy living and stop messing around on the edge of the abyss that is alcoholism and drug addiction. Mr. Gordon, it’s time to do whatever it takes, one day at a time. Even if you were cut from the Browns tomorrow and never stepped on the football field again, that should be the way to go. But I don’t think you’re going to be cut, and as a Browns fan, if you would drop the idea you have some justification for your disease, and get busy in recovery, we would see some amazing football. I think that would be guaranteed.
Good luck, Mr. Gordon.
-Gerald Leb
