Josh Gordon is being given another chance in the NFL, and his situation has immediately drawn comparisons to Sha’Carri Richardson and her Olympic ban.
Advertisement
Gordon has been testing cleanly for the last 3 months, and as a result he is eligible to file for reinstatement in the league. If this situation sounds familiar to you, that’s because it is.
After amassing a whopping 1,646 receiving yards to lead the league in 2016, Gordon routinely faced trouble with substance abuse, failing to adhere to the NFL’s policies. This led to a number of suspensions. His suspension in 2019 marked his sixth since 2013 and his fifth related to substance abuse.
However, Gordon has filed for reinstatement, and he’ll be hoping to be on a team by the time training camp rolls around.
Josh Gordon officially has submitted his reinstatement letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and hopes to be with a team for training camp, per a league source. The NFL has been randomly drug testing Gordon for the past three months and is said to have passed all tests.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 2, 2021
NFL World Compares Josh Gordon To Sha’Carri Richardson For Her Olympic Ban
Recently, Sha’Carri Richardson made headlines after she failed her required drugs test due to her using marijuana. As a result, she was suspended for one month, which will keep her out of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
People from all across the world, including several NFL athletes showered Richardson with support, clamoring that the young track superstar should be allowed to run.
NFL players speak out to support US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson after she was suspended one month for a positive marijuana test pic.twitter.com/TAH0twRWq4
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) July 2, 2021
All in all, there was a tremendous wave of support for Richardson as it was revealed that she was using marijuana to ease the pain of her birth mother dying. Now that Josh Gordon is set to make an NFL comeback, many NFL fans are demanding that he deserve the same kind of support:
Give Flash the same energy y’all giving Sha’Carri Richardson. Instead of clowning big dog, show some love. https://t.co/aURDs4VVc1
— Crocky⚡️ (@eric_crocker) July 3, 2021
Bro ppl don’t understand addiction. They clown and believe it’s a joke. I spent years working in the field. Once it sinks it’s teeth into you, it’s hard asf to pull away! Praying he’s finally on the right path!
— Damian Parson 🏈 (@DP_NFL) July 3, 2021
It’s called addiction. He should not be reinstated, he should be in a program and focusing 💯 % of his time on his sobriety. He has shown ten times that it doesn’t work out to play in NFL and be sober for him. There isn’t enough support for him to succeed. Good luck JG 🙏
— Mookie (@Mook_Franchize) July 3, 2021
As you can see, the reactions to this comparison went both ways. Several people agree with the notion that Josh Gordon should receive support as he rehabs from an addiction problem. However, many others were also of the mindset that he shouldn’t be given the same response since this has happened repeatedly with him:
Honestly comparing him to her is a disservice to her.
Gordon has been in and out of trouble since high school.
Some Marijuana, alcohol and performance substances
Hes had about 15 opportunities to turn things around. People have done a lot to help him.— Red and Gold Member (@ninernation1680) July 3, 2021
However, if anything, the fact that Gordon has repeatedly been through this scenario, and has somehow managed to find a way back every time means that he should receive even more support. Addiction can be life threatening if people aren’t given the resources to recover from it. Just look at Vincent Jackson who kept his problems concealed.
As fans of the games and players, we should band together to support Gordon as he makes his way back. The road to recovery can be tough, but if he has the support of fans, then he’ll be in a much better position to make it back.
