The glory and the triumph in the foreground, masking but not alltogether shielding from view the ever present dark side of fame, staring in the shadow, waiting to see and be seen.

And the light in the eyes, once glowing with promise for the young star can become tumultuous as lightening if allowed to persist and influence.

@baconhound said:

Fingers crossed that Josh comes back and can play a solid role for the team.

@westside-steve said:

Legalizing weed and criminalizing karaoke might be a popular idea but as yet...

Legalize Karaoke? Never!

@mark-o said:

I agree...just not real bright with his marijuana and drinking decisions.....kinda like someone else on our roster.

I think it's tough to try to draw a moral equivalency in this case.

Regardless of our opinions on what should be legal or illegal among smoking pot, drinking champagne and seeing karaoke, only one of the 3 is against the law and strictly against the rules. Hence the prosecution and suspension aspect.

Legalizing weed and criminalizing karaoke might be a popular idea but as yet...

WSS

@mld-woody said:

That wasn't very nice woody. I'm going to tell your mom.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

says the old drunk

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Whatever.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Johnny Football will be QB, Gordon will be in some crackhouse in LA.

Gordon will be catching touchdowns from Manziel and you'll be so excited you won't know which dude to stick your boner in.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Gonna suck for you if Johnny is playing in Dallas and Gordon is catching passes from McCown or some other QB.

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

We will see... but I'll cheer for anyone in a Browns uniform.

@westside-steve said:

I agree...just not real bright with his marijuana and drinking decisions.....kinda like someone else on our roster.

WSS

@mudfly said:

Pretty much...

@mark-o said:

hahaha.....a couple drinks and cough medicine are serious SERIOUS business.....now if he was only doing coke in the bathroom and got drunk all the time...no problem then....(let kids be kids man)(well, xcept Josh that is)...

@diehardbrownsfan said:

I can understand why you feel that way, but I don't agree with your statement. Gordon has made more than his fair share of mistakes, but I don't know any saints in this world, and he's a young kid that was in a bad place. Once a person is neck deep in the NFL conduct policy, it's difficult to get out. That person has to walk a near PERFECT line, and how realistic is that for a 23 year-old? Sure, many players appear to do it, but Gordon wasn't even allowed to have a damn drink. He has to be available for countless drug tests, can't drink alcohol, and has to train without his teammates and friends. That can't be easy.

Look, I'm not making excuses for the guy, I'm really not. He made his bed, and now he has to sleep in it. By the few accounts the fans have, Gordon appears to be doing well and keeping out of trouble. Remember when Blackmon got banished? He could've gotten clean, worked out diligently, and made it his mission to come back to the NFL. Only he didn't. He got arrested AGAIN while suspended, and he didn't even maintain contact with his team. Gordon has done the opposite. He APPEARS to be doing everything right. If that's the case, why not give him another chance? It's not like he's some huge distraction, and it's not like we're paying him a shitload of money. Hell, we're paying Dwayne Bowe like EIGHT TIMES Gordon's salary to do absolutely NOTHING.

The videos of Gordon working out prove that he's busting his ass. A person can't look like him and NOT work out nonstop. That takes dedication, resolution, and work ethic. Gordon isn't some veteran possession receiver that can occasionally help move the sticks. Oh no, he's the kind of talent that can literally make the difference between winning and losing. He can take a 2 yard pass and turn it into a big play, catch a quick slant and take it to the house, and even run a reverse with the best of them. And the thing is, I don't think he's even BEGUN to scratch the surface of his immense talent. Look at the QB's he's played with. The guy had a zillion yards with Brandon Weeden! Johnny played briefly with him, but that wasn't the same Johnny we have now. And speaking of Johnny, what does a player like Gordon do for a young QB's development?

Fans have every right to be angry with Gordon. Our franchise took a big risk with drafting him, and the risk paid off some, and then bit us in the ass several times. I know what I want to see, and that's Manziel and Gordon playing together for years to come. They have a bond together, and instead of that bond facilitating trouble, perhaps it can serve to keep them trucking forward. Look at last week's game, and look at the number of times a play broke down and Manziel scrambled and found Hartline or Barnidge. Now imagine Manziel finding Gordon on one of those. A 12 yard pass could easily turn into a huge gain. I completely realize I'm getting way ahead of myself. Tons of things have to happen for Gordon to come back, AND for Manziel to come back. But to me, the smart thing is to do everything we can to make sure Manziel has the weapons he needs to succeed, and the biggest gun of all is Mr. Gordon.

It's always baffled me when you have "pundits" and posters saying to cut him for nothing.

@diehardbrownsfan said:

Drunk Johnny Manziel will be playing QB for the Browns for the next decade...but Josh Gordon will never play for us again. Hello double standard.....