Opinion: We should all be rooting for Josh Gordon now more than ever

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL on Monday for violating the league's policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse.

It's the fifth time he's been suspended in his career, all of his previous ones solely for various substance abuse violations.

While some people took the time to make fun of Gordon for getting suspended again, his story and his life are things we should all get behind and support because what he's apparently battling right now is much tougher than anything he'll ever face on a football field.

If you have known anyone who has battled addiction, which, unfortunately, is a lot of us these days, you might know of the guilt and shame that can come with relapses. Addicts often know what they're doing isn't right but they are powerless to the disease, which this is — a disease.

HARSH PUNISHMENT:Roger Goodell needs to kick the cheating Patriots out of the playoffs

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

PRO BOWL? 15 NFL players who deserve first Pro Bowl selection

We don't mock those who get cancer and we should in no way mock those who are battling addiction.

We should offer two things to them — love and support.

Some on Twitter made snarky jokes about how Gordon should just lay off the weed. I'm sure he wishes it could be that easy. We don't know specifically what he's battling right now, but he did open up about the demons that have followed him for so long in his life in this touching feature from 2017. That video is a powerful watch about a human being doing his best to get better and get his life back.

In that feature, which was done by the folks at Uninterrupted, Gordon talks about being 70 days into rehab at the time and wanting to go over 100 days. He talks about the different substances he grew up with and has struggled with over the years.

And he talks about just wanting another opportunity with the NFL.

Now his NFL career is likely over, which is incredibly sad. Gordon has so much talent and could have been one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game.

Gordon now steps away from the games and all the fans and continues his biggest fight far away from the bright lights of the NFL.

Addiction, and the stigmas that come with it, need to come out of the shadows and be embraced the way we treat anyone who has a disease. We all need to be a lot more understanding of those who are fighting every day to get better. Instead of pushing them away, we need to pull them toward us and offer whatever we can to help them, to better understand what they are going through, and to just be there for them.

Once we get there maybe things can become a bit easier for those battling this disease. We can only hope.

Root for Josh Gordon and anyone you know who is in his shoes right now.

They need it.

We need it.