If there was a 911 call center for NFLers with career emergencies, then Josh Gordon would need to hit those three digits. The Cleveland wide out is in need of some professional help. He was suspended for the final game of the season for missing a walk through on Saturday. I don’t know how much it takes for a player to see how irresponsible he is being. Missing the better half of the year already didn’t make the point it seems.
A hypothetical 911 center would be great for this type of knuckle headed stuff. I would even volunteer for a few calls myself. I could field a call from Josh Gordon and not charge for my time. I am guessing he would take me on full time after the call as some kind of personal life coach. That’s when I would make some cash off the guy. He would benefit too of course with all the awesome advice I would have to offer. In about six months I think I would have the guy at the top of his game and the Browns would be climbing across the table to sign him to a long term deal.
What kind of advice could I give this grown man to change his life? Well it wouldn’t be too complicated. I would first tell him to stop acting like a petulant child. This would be a phone call mind you, so no danger of me getting punched in the neck by a professional athlete. I would tell the guy that he gets paid very well for what he does and shouldn’t expect that pay to continue if he doesn’t produce for his team. I would not use the clichéd points about the average guy would get fired if he was acting like you. That wouldn’t hit home, because the average guy at a nine to five job can be easily replaced. Josh Gordon knows he cannot. Not yet anyway.
I would remind him that eventually he could be replaced if he does not start acting like a professional. A professional knows his craft and tries to perfect it. Thus he benefits from his ability and his craft benefits from him in the form of wins for his franchise. Using plenty of foul language would be a key for me in this conversation with Josh Gordon. Again, not a face to face talk here, so no danger to me at all.
My main points to Gordon would come in the form of a list of guys who have squandered their talent in the NFL. I could pick from a few who never really made it big and toss in names that were superstars for a short time but still didn’t get to the level they should have. I would make it clear that he is nothing special if he is not on the field. He is a nobody if he is suspended. He has to be actively playing on the football field to be important. There are plenty of muscled up guys with speed working for UPS. He can only shine and move toward bigger contracts if he is running routes.
I believe I could be the savior for guys like Josh Gordon. He needs a stern talking to indeed. I am sure he has a pile of yes-men around him. That kind of feedback just makes him worse. He needs a dose of reality and I would be the perfect messenger. The guy is a helluva receiver, but won’t get a free pass forever. His window to produce is small in the NFL. He best realize how short his time is and get his ass on track. To get the best money for his time playing football, his team has to get results from him. That will never happen as long as he keeps getting run off the field due to his own actions.
Be a pro Josh Gordon. Or risk being just a nobody very soon.