Donte Whitner on Josh Gordon: 'We have to rally around him'

Cleveland Browns safety Donte Whitner is the latest in a long line of sports journalists, NFLers, and ex-NFLers to voice an opinion about troubled wide receiver Josh Gordon.

The eight-year veteran, who once entertained the idea of legally changing his name to "Hitner", feels the Browns need to band together as a group in order to help Gordon.

"He's a 23-year-old kid; he made some mistakes. A lot of people's 20-year-old sons make mistakes," Whitner told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via CBSSports). "We have to help him, and that's the bottom line. 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."

Gordon faces a possible one-year suspension for an alleged failed drug test, a fate many feel could spell the end of his NFL career. Whitner, for his part, doesn't think cutting the 23-year-old All-Pro is the answer.

"The thing is, we have to rally around him," Whitner said. "I know all the dumb things people say -- 'he should be cut, he should be this' -- he shouldn't."