Report: Josh Gordon Doesn’t Love Football Enough
Josh Gordon is still the Cleveland Browns problem going into the off-season. They could remedy that by cutting him but have no real incentive to do so. Some might say it would be a distraction to the team if he was still on the roster, while still others believe they need to send Gordon a message.
The problem with the latter is that sending a message only works if the consequence takes away something you like or gives you something you don’t like. If you got in trouble at work and your punishment was you could no longer do TPS reports (Office Space reference) you wouldn’t much mind. If the punishment was that you had to do everyone else’s TPS reports, the punishment may be effective.
So that leads to the question: Does Josh Gordon care enough about football that being suspended, or cut, make him more likely to change? According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, and his sources, the answer is no:
So Gordon had to basically be manipulated into playing football at Baylor and, even after an amazing season with the Browns, still could not get it together as a professional. His talent is evident but his desire for the game does not come anywhere near matching his other worldly talent.
That isn’t to say that cannot change. Consequences are a natural part of life, and in no way are we saying he should be able to avoid them. Instead it is trying to figure out what his motivation is to understand what moves him to do the things he does.
For some players the NFL is all about making money. They are very talented, their talent gets them contracts and the harder they worker the bigger those contracts are. For some players it is all about the fame, think Johnny Manziel. They look at it as a way to have fun, meet people and do fun things that they wouldn’t get to do if they didn’t play football. For these two types of players suspension tend to work because they love their money and fame and can’t have either if they are not playing.
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For others it is just a pure love of the game. Almost as if they feel like they have to be playing. Obviously these are the type of players all teams want. Their identity is found in their practice and play performance. For these players taking them away from their teammates, the locker room and the game would be enough to get them to stop whatever it was they were doing.
For someone who seems to not care about the money, fame or game you have to wonder what does motivate Josh Gordon? Fun seems to be pretty important to him, but he can have fun and not play football. Use of substances seems to be important to him, but I know many an unemployed person who use substances. He seems very loyal to his friends, but that loyalty also has led to some of his troubles.
What else? Are there other things that motivate him? As he ages, will his priorities change? Most of us have had this happen. Until that happens, until something is taken away from him that he wants/loves, no amount of consequences will be enough to change Gordon. If the Browns choose to cut him it would be just a blip on his radar.
What do you think about this new report about Josh Gordon?