Josh Gordon talks about his mistakes, and getting on the right path

Last month, we heard that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon had been briefly let out of a rehab stint so that he could film a segment for UNINTERRUPTED. That video turned out to be a 13-minute mini-documentary that was released Tuesday morning.

Here’s a digest of some of the things we learned from Gordon:

• He’s used alcohol, Xanax, cocaine, marijuana, codeine, cough syrup, and methazine. And because he was a super athlete, he was enabled early on at Baylor, as a coach came by to “coach” him on how to use a bottle of detox to pass drug tests. So from a professional viewpoint, that former the early impression in Gordon’s head that he didn’t have to take testing too seriously.
• If you remember back in 2014, Gordon was re-instated for the final six games of the season. In the video, he specifically brings up how important it was to get an accrued season by playing in six games. But then he stayed out late the night before the final game, when he was supposed to make a team meeting at 7:30 AM. He overslept, waking up around 10:15 AM. He drove to the tarmac, but then-GM Ray Farmer told him he wasn’t getting on the plane. Gordon said, “I was watching the plane go off and it was like well 'fuck it, let's go home, let's party.’”

UNINTERRUPTED

• That partying led to more substance abuse and a year-long ban. Gordon heard the criticism from fans, media, and people around him. Instead of inspiring him to get clean it just drove him deeper into a “screw all of you then; I’m doing what I want” mentality:”

“I got suspended for the entire year and after that it kind of all came in from all angles, different fans, everybody kind of was like ‘oh, you're a piece of shit, you're a drug addict, you're a junkie, whatever, you're alcoholic.’ So at that point, I was like, 'if you all want me to be this guy so bad, that's just what I'm going to be.’”

• I’m not certain on the timeline, but I believe it’s implied that early this summer, Gordon was wandering the streets of Gainesville, Florida at 11:30 PM at night. He was looking for drug dealer, but couldn’t find one that particular night. As he wandered, alone, something just finally clicked in his head: ‘What the hell am I doing? I need help.’ And that led to the extensive rehab stint that he just-recently got out of.

“I just began to have a flashback and remembered all the negative things that have happened in my life that transpired, like what led up to this point? How did it get this bad? It’s so dark out here, I’m all alone, what the hell am I doing? I was scared. I was scared for my life.”

• His now two-year old daughter lives in Maple Heights, OH. He hasn’t seen her in person, but after getting out of rehab, he wanted to return to Ohio to be a father. That could explain why he was spotted in Downtown Cleveland last week.
• Gordon considers NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a mentor.

“I’ve been able to sit down with Roger Goodell and talk to him… He gave me some of the most honest answers, advice and information, that anyone could give to you. I respect Roger Goodell.”

We also have some additional information from Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. We knew that as of last week, Gordon had not re-applied for reinstatement to the NFL. A source told Cabot, however, that Gordon “planned on re-applying in conjunction with the release of the UNINTERRUPTED interview.” Cabot also says that a source tells here Gordon is “mostly broke and relying on the help of friends” and that LeBron James’ business partner, Maverick Carter, has “taken Gordon under his wing.”