The saga of Josh Gordon seems to sadly never end

Josh Gordon could help the Seahawks but needs more help himself.

The NFL reinstated Josh Gordon a few weeks ago so that he was able to play football again and able to play for the Seahawks. But just when Josh Gordon was about to play in a real football game again, something happened. The NFL this week announced that Gordon had suffered a setback with substance abuse and would be out indefinitely.

To be fair, we don’t know what Josh Gordon is dealing with as far as substance issues. It could be marijuana or it could be alcohol or something else. I do not know Josh Gordon personally and likely never will and I do not know what personal demons he is dealing with. But as far as human being to human being, I know he has to be struggling with something quite grave and I hope he can overcome this before it becomes too late.

Seattle fans of music and sports are well aware of what people they might be fans of struggle with. Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell killed themselves and Layne Staley overdosed and died and all these guys were the faces of Seattle area bands and anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest is aware of the issues surrounding their deaths.

Let me clear that I do not know that Josh Gordon is dealing with the same extremes of addiction or depression that Cobain, Cornell or Staley were but Gordon also seems to have issues staying clean when he is just on the cusp of making a living at something he is really good at. Gordon makes a relatively lot of money (relative to the general population, that is) and I am sure he is aware of this as anyone should be. So money isn’t the driving issue for Gordon and something else is and for his sake, I hope he finds the help he needs to overcome whatever it is he needs to overcome.

The best for Gordon

I am not any kind of therapist. I do not have a degree in psychology. But I know first hand how mental illness and addiction can affect people. My father and grandfather both dealt with depression and, to some degree, substance abuse issues. Both killed themselves.

Whatever the issues Josh Gordon has, I want him to get better. I don’t really care if he ever plays for the Seahawks again and if he does and he does well, great. But I really just hope that Josh Gordon beats his own demons and becomes a happy person. In the long run, this is what matters first and football is a very far second.