Not the Flash Gordon story line that I was hoping for. (Getty/Mitchell Leff)

This is disappointing news, and there is no way to get around that. It’s less of a disappointment for the Seattle Seahawks. Their primarily targets all season long have been Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, and over the last four games, they have actually favored tight end Jacob Hollister and reserve wide out Malik Turner more often than Josh. No, this is a big disappoint for Josh Gordon. I feel bad for him.

I know that this day and age it is easy to take the cynical stance. Yes, he has been an entitled athlete that has been given numerous chances, and he has blown them all. And yes, we really shouldn’t be surprised of the news that he would be suspended for his eighth time. But this is still a guy with a sickness who has immense talent that few humans have on this planet to play a difficult sport at its highest level, and it is probably pretty unlikely that he will get to play it again now. Seattle was very likely his last shot at redemption as an NFL player, and personally, I think it is sad. I’m disappointed that we won’t get to witness this story and even more, that Josh won’t get to live it.

Moving forward, it is my hope for him that he will get his life turned around, and perhaps this is the bottom he finally needs to feel to make that happen, if he has not truly felt his bottom before. I want his story to be better than a drug addict who couldn’t stay clean and blew his final chance at being a true NFL star. I hope his story is that after this, he finally turned his life around and made a big difference to others because that is still very much on the table for him, if he chooses to go for it.

As for the Seattle Seahawks, I don’t think this loss will greatly hurt them in the playoffs. They were playing pretty well before he came to them. I suspect that they might use his roster spot on a running back now because that seems to be the spot where they are presently the thinnest because of the Rashaad Penny season ending injury.

It just really bums me out that Josh couldn’t stay clean. It’s also a reminder that addiction is a really complicated disease. It’s really hard to know if someone who battles addiction is honestly staying clean because so much of the disease deals with secrecy and manipulation. Addicts, by the nature of the disease, are often sharp manipulators. So, while it is okay to be pissed off at Josh for allowing this to happen, I think it is also good to recognize who and what he is. He is an amazing athlete but he is also an addict.

I hope he finally gets control over his disease. I will always hope this for him, and I will not feel badly for his short time spent as a Seattle Seahawk.

Go Hawks.