Breaking News: Josh Gordon is 'Stepping Away' from the Patriots

Josh Gordon – “I take my mental health very seriously at this point to ensure I remain able to perform at the highest level. I have recently felt like I could have a better grasp on things mentally. With that said, I will be stepping away from the football field for a bit to focus on my mental health.”

This is obviously shocking news given how well Gordon has seemed to be doing this year. Apart from that time he was rumored to be late to a meeting and there were reports he was going to be benched for a series and then didn’t miss a snap, he’s been riding a gravy train with biscuit wheels. He’s assimilated into the culture of the Patriots locker room. He’s seemed happy. He’s sure as hell been productive. Most importantly, it felt as though he has his personal demons under control. But this announcement would indicate otherwise.

That’s the thing about mental health issues. From the outside, no one can ever tell. The rest of us are completely in the dark about what’s going on inside unless the person wrestling with them decides to open up and talk about it. We’re all justified in being disappointed we won’t get to see a great athlete who seemingly had put his shit together perform for a while. But for now I’ll take it as a good sign that Flash has the self-awareness to recognize he’s still got things to straighten out and address them. Mental health issues are no fucking joke.

Get well. Godspeed.