Donte Whitner thinks Browns shouldn’t release Josh Gordon
By Mike Dyce
The Cleveland Browns had a lot to look forward heading into the 2014 season. They had drafted quarterback Johnny Manziel, and even if he didn’t start his rookie season they had veteran Brian Hoyer under center, who had a successful run as a starter in 2013 before being injured for the remainder of the season. They brought in free agent running back Ben Tate, formerly of the Houston Texans, and they had a dynamic and explosive receiver in Josh Gordon.
Unfortunately it looks like Gordon won’t be available. He was already facing a long suspension for a drug test, and while awaiting punishment for that violation he was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of DWI.
“It’s a big blow to us. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Browns safety Donte Whitner told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday. “The thing is, we have to rally around him. I know all the dumb things people say — ‘he should be cut, he should be this’ — he shouldn’t.”
The Browns now have to decide what to do with Gordon. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter suggested cutting him, but Whitner doesn’t think that is a viable option.
“He’s a 23-year-old kid; he made some mistakes. A lot of people’s 20-year-old sons make mistakes. We have to help him, and that’s the bottom line,” Whitner said, via NFL.com. “We have to help him collectively. It’s not going be one person that helps him, it’s not going to be two people that help him. It’s gonna come from the front office, the coaching staff, the players and his whole family. We have to help him — not only for football purposes, but for life purposes to get his life in order.”