It's funny how when A/E say something about a character we don't always agree with it. I don't always agree with what they said about the characters either. So if what they say about one character we don't agree with, does that mean what they say about all we don't have to agree with too?
As for the cowardice. I never thought of Rumple as a coward. And I also don't see him as hiding behind anything. He's an addict, it's a problem, not the same. Hiding and lying is not an act of cowardice if the reason behind it is because of an underlying cause due to one's addiction not personality.