Charles Barkley says Josh Gordon is going to die (Video)

By Mike Dyce | Jan 26, 2015

Aug 18, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) walks out of the locker room prior to the Browns /

On ESPN, NBA analyst Charles Barkley said that it is only a matter of time before Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon dies from substance abuse and addiction.

The Cleveland Browns are facing a tough decision in regards to wide receiver Josh Brown. The young pass catcher led the league in receiving yards in 2013 but missed the majority of the 2014 season serving a suspension for a positive drug test.

The NFL and NFL Players’ Association agreed to terms amending the rules and Gordon’s suspension was shortened, but it looks like Gordon will miss the entire 2015 season after failing yet another drug test. The one note to this failed drug test was that he was tested positive for alcohol, not marijuana like in prior tests.

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Gordon had a DUI and that is why he was tested for alcohol.

ESPN’s “His & Hers” show had outspoken NBA analyst Charles Barkley on their Monday morning broadcast ahead of the Super Bowl in Arizona. The topic of Gordon and his failed drug test came up and Barkley had rather strong words on the subject matter. Barkley used his own personal experience with addiction in his family, specifically his deceased brother, to explain his opinions on the matter..

“Josh Gordon is going to die if he keeps going on this road he’s going,” Barkley said. “When you get involved with alcohol and drugs and you can’t control it, you look at Philip Seymour Hoffman, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when.”

That is when Michael Smith chimed in and asked if this was a cry for help.

“No, he’s been crying for help,” Barkley said.

Barkley added: “It’s just not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when something bad is going to happen… If last year didn’t shake him up, he isn’t going to learn.”

“…But man, it is going to end badly. These movies all end the same way.”

What Barkley is saying is pretty spot on recovery rhetoric. Patients in drug rehabilitation clinics are often told that there are three ends for an addict, recovery, jail or death.

While Barkley’s words sound harsh, his tone was sympathetic and his concern was evident, repeatedly referencing his own personal experiences. Of course Barkley is making the assumption that Gordon is an addict, and that necessarily hasn’t been proven. Those who follow 12 step programs are often dissuaded from diagnosing others as addicts and that only a person can diagnose themselves as an addict.

That being said, hard to argue against anyone making the case that he is an addict given his history of repeated failed drug tests.

The general point behind what Barkley was saying though is that Gordon might be on a path that can’t be stopped and Gordon needs to get things under control quickly to save his own life.

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