Former all-pro and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is once again trying to make a comeback into the NFL. Gordon has been in-and-out of suspensions due to drug use in the NFL since 2013 and he was even caught violating team policies in college when he had to transfer from Baylor to Utah. He hasn’t played a regular season game in the NFL since 2014 and has missed 51 of his team’s last 56 games because of substance abuse. He’s currently still trying to get Commissioner Roger Goodell to reinstate him back in the league one last time. He recently interviewed with Clay Skipper and GQ Magazine to talk about his journey and road to recovery from addiction.
In the interview, Gordon went into detail about his first high. The situation happened in seventh grade when he took an entire bar of Xanax. Gordon said he returned to class drooling on his desk with other students laughing at him. He said that he smoked to fit in and to avoid his fears and anxieties. Gordon continued using as his football career progressed because he thought that he could fool the system. That’s when he admitted that he was using drugs before every game.
“I used to make a ritual of it before every game,” Gordon said. “A bunch of guys smoke weed before the game. But we’re not talking about them. I would have these little pre-made shots. I used to love Grand Marnier. I could drink it down smooth. I could usually drink a lot of it. But if it wasn’t that, it might be a whiskey or something. And I would drink probably like half a glass, or a couple shots to try and warm my system up, basically. To get the motor running. That’s what I would do for games.”
Also in the interview, Gordon said that he had to leave the city of Cleveland while serving his suspensions due to the amount of heckling he received every time that he was in public. He also left a message for fans when it comes to dealing with the players’ off-field decisions.
“Give guys a chance. Be patient. Allow him to see it through. If he lets you down, he lets you down. But know that’s a human being there. He’s dealing with something,” Gordon said.
