Erik Drost- Flickr
No one up to this point would give Josh Gordon a merit badge for following the rules. He has consistently and utterly not cared, both in college and in the NFL, that marijuana is illegal in 48 of the 50 states in our country, not to mention being a banned substance by the NFL and CFB, and has previously been suspended twice for failing a drug test.
In being tested with increasing regularity being in Stage 3 of the NFL’s program (SEVENTY TIMES!!!), Gordon finally popped positive. This is where the NFL is way, WAY off base with the realities of what should count as a positive test for marijuana:
The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) sets a positive test at 150 nanograms per milliliter. The NFL standard? 15 nanograms per milliliter. (In other words, the NFL standard is TEN times more stringent than the standard used by the Olympic games!)
And here’s where things get very interesting. Gordon’s first sample (A) was the one that failed (16 nanograms per milliliter), but the second one (B) was actually UNDER the standard (13.63 ng/ml).
So by virtue of the “wrong” sample being selected, Gordon got busted and under the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), a failure under stage 3 is supposed to be an automatic 1 year suspension. This suspension could likely end Gordon’s NFL career, as not only will he miss an entire season, but any team who signs him to a contract will realize a) you can’t trust him and b) if he continues down the same path he’ll be suspended for a year again.
Here’s the problem: Roger Goodell just suspended Ray Rice TWO GAMES for giving his then fiancé (now wife) a TKO in Las Vegas. While the video inside the elevator hasn’t been released to the public, through TMZ we DO have the video of him dragging his unconscious wife out of the elevator and then smacking her face to try and wake her up.
Essentially Roger Goodell can do nearly anything he wants, ESPECIALLY in the realm of any punishment that is not covered in the CBA.
If Goodell allows Gordon to be suspended for the entire year, it’s going to do two immediate things:
a) You will continue to hear about Ray Rice’s suspension the entire season, and probably beyond
b) The Cleveland Browns will lose their most dynamic player on Offense, one that could bail Johnny Manziel out (come on; if you think Brian Hoyer is starting the season, you probably also think a Sharknado could really happen), and more than likely they will struggle to score points all season long (Gordon accounted for 30% of the Browns TD’s last season AND 36% of the total receiving yards, and only Gordon & TE Jordan Cameron had over 900 yards receiving, no one else had 500!)
Goodell is essentially hiding behind the “shield” and using the flimsiest of excuses (i.e. Rice has never been in trouble, he was apologetic, he’s learned his lesson, 2 games without pay IS a punishment, etc) to justify an unjustifiable action. Domestic violence is a major, major problem in the United States, and is growing at a lightning pace against MEN, not just women. It is very often a silent crime where the victim is afraid or ashamed to come forward, one that destroys relationships and families, and in extreme circumstances leads to death.
To be fair, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is JUST as guilty here. They are part of the CBA talks, they end up ultimately approving the CBA, and the standard for marijuana was right there. They agreed to it. So therefore, there’s only so much whining and crying they can honestly do.
If Gordon’s appeal is ultimately denied (word is in 1-3 weeks a decision should be rendered) and Goodell does not step in as commissioner and override that suspension, the talk will continue that a man who assaulted his wife got a 2 game suspension, and another man, who by “luck” had the wrong sample of urine chosen and popped positive, under a standard that is archaic and not up to 2014 levels, will be suspended for an entire season.
It’s time for Goodell to actually earn his $40M+ salary that the 32 NFL owners pay him. If Gordon’s appeal is successful, then the NFL season can begin with the normal excitement of 32 teams starting 0-0 and dreaming of the Super Bowl even though we can reasonably eliminate several (New York Jets, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions) from serious Super Bowl contention.
If Gordon’s appeal is denied and Goodell does not step in, well expect these numbers to go down considerably:
“Women represent approximately 45 percent of the NFL fan base, according to Scarborough Research, and approximately 33 percent of the NFL viewing audience based on Nielsen data.” SportsBusinessDaily
The NFL did not get where it is being stupid. No business could alienate 45% of their clients and survive. There is still time to at least do the right thing by Josh Gordon.
Joe Cummings is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on twitter or Facebook.
