Former NFL offensive lineman Eben Britton laid it on the table. He admitted he smoked marijuana regularly and was even high while playing in NFL games. But it turns out smoking weed in the NFL may not be all that uncommon.
“NFL games I played stoned were some of the best games I ever played,” Britton said. “Cannabis cements your surroundings. A lot of people say they’re useless when they smoke weed. But hell, I played NFL games [while stoned], dude. My performances were solid, and I felt really good after.”
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Britton said marijuana helped his performance during his games, but it he also used it medicinally to treat “psychological distress or sciatica or pain in my shoulders.”
According to Britton, pot and NFL players go hand in hand. The former offensive lineman claims that “over 50 percent” of players smoke weed, adding that the number could be “as high as 75 percent.”
Dr. Sue Sisley, who has been investigating cannabis for an FDA-approved study, confirms the regularity of marijuana use among NFL players with this anecdote:
“Nothing game him relief – including opioids,” Sisley said. “He was on the bench because he was nonfunctional on the field. Side effects from the medicine had him so sedated that was literally dangerous for him to play. He was frustrated and lost his position and lost credibility. He tried cannabis and actually got back in the game. He is currently playing now. That is a common scenario.”
But Britton isn’t the first NFL player to come forward about using marijuana. Colorado State running back Treyous Jarrells recently admitted he was high for practically every game he played, right up until he quit in the 2015 season.
“I practiced under the influence,” Jarrells said. “I played games under the influence. This is my medicine. I’ve seen players at CSU pop five, 10 ibuprofens before practice. Daily. You think that’s good? Over the course of two, three years, that’s eating your liver away.”
While social acceptance of marijuana is rapidly improving, it’s unlikely the NFL will be making any sweeping policy changes on the drug any time soon.
“But despite the inquiries from league officials, it is highly unlikely that the NFL and its union will rush to embrace marijuana as the answer to its health and safety woes,” said Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller, a clinical psychologist from the University of Pennsylvania who is helping lead a study on marijuana and the NFL. “Pot is still classified as a Schedule I drug, which mens the federal government says it has no accepted medical uses, and the NFL has long been governed by men who prefer not to alienate fans and sponsors – companies that include beer and pharmaceutical companies – by taking controversial positions on social issues.”
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