President Donald Trump‘s hard stance on illegal drugs has some NFL players who like weed not just worried about a suspension from Roger Goodell, but prison time.
Bleacher Report published an interview with an anonymous NFL agent in Mike Freeman’s 10-Point Stance on Monday where the agent said he’s stressed to his clients to avoid smoking weed “at all costs.”
“Stay away from marijuana at all costs,” the agent told several of his players in a series of phone calls. “This isn’t about the NFL any longer. This is about the government coming after you.”
In a series of interviews with several veteran players, agents and team officials, I found there is an emerging concern that football players, and possibly many professional athletes, may face increased scrutiny from the federal government under President Donald Trump.
Marijuana use is still a taboo for prospects entering the NFL Draft. Players who get banged for weed in college often see significant drops in their draft value and get flagged for “character issues” on par with violent crimes that should certainly garner much more significant concern. People seem to be changing their opinion on marijuana as certain states have decriminalized it, but the overall thought in football—despite Matt Taibbi’s best efforts—is still that pot is a significant red flag.
It’s even more so for players and the people who represent them. Freeman pointed out Trump administration press secretary Sean Spicer‘s comments last week about the supposed dangers of marijuana use as a gateway drug to an opioid and heroin addiction. While Spicer tied the two drugs together in their dangers, there are some who claim usage of the two are unrelated and that marijuana can actually help opioid addicts kick the habit. Science about weed and its benefits is always a bit controversial considering its current legal status, but the federal government’s view on it is clear—don’t expect weed usage to be tolerated under this administration.
In other words, it appears the Department of Justice is about to get more Draconian about weed on a level even the NFL will be jealous of. You might remember players like Bills offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson getting suspended for using medical marijuana to cope with Crohn’s disease.
Henderson’s draft stock fell significantly, and he was taken by the Bills as a seventh-round flier before he developed into a starter for the team. But he was suspended in 2016 for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy despite appealing and pointing out he used the drug for medical purposes.
Under Trump, the DOJ appears to be taking a similarly myopic look at the Schedule I drug. NFL players, people who deal with various types of pain on a daily basis during the season, are understandably worried.
The agent, and several veteran players, said their biggest concern was a potential crackdown on marijuana use by athletes in the NFL and NBA in particular, no matter what state they lived in. Another agent noted Sessions once expressed a strong opposition to any legalized marijuana use.
“I don’t think it’s crazy to think that the government would use high-profile athletes to make a statement,” said one AFC veteran.
It seems far-fetched (maybe) that the government or local law enforcement would suddenly start targeting NFL and NBA players. But I’ve heard about this concern for weeks now.
Freeman points out that players not already in the NFL’s drug program are very unlikely to fail a drug test, which is administered once a year in the summer. Still, it’s just another concern for athletes already dealing with the uneven justice of the Goodell administration.
(via Bleacher Report)
