{"id":2610,"date":"2021-11-24T23:53:19","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T23:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=186326"},"modified":"2021-11-24T23:53:19","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T23:53:19","slug":"draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2610","title":{"rendered":"Draft your fantasy football team of cannabis advocates and industry players"},"content":{"rendered":"
Draft your fantasy football team of cannabis advocates and industry players – Leafly<\/title> <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --> <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\"> <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\"> <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <title>Leafly<\/title> <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title> <title>Loading\u2026<\/title> <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">The NFL has never welcomed weed. But last April, the league announced it will no longer test players for THC during the off-season (April 20 to August 9).<\/p>\n<p>This approach is a huge shift from more severe punishments of the past. Former stars like Ricky Williams and Josh Gordon had their careers significantly altered by the consequences of positive tests. <\/p>\n<p>With destigmatization spreading globally, current and former players are dabbling in the legal industry and defying the league\u2019s long-held reputation as the \u201cNo Fun League.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>All-time greats like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.celebstoner.com\/news\/celebstoner-news\/2017\/09\/01\/joe-montana-invests-in-cannabis-industry\/\">Joe Montana<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/30862032\/former-lions-calvin-johnson-rob-sims-believe-science-potential-cannabis-industry\">Calvin Johnson<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freedomleaf.com\/cbd-athletes-sports\/\">Rob Gronkowski<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ganjapreneur.com\/former-nfl-running-back-marshawn-lynch-launches-premium-blunt-brand\/\">Marshawn Lynch<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.celebstoner.com\/sports\/sporting-highs\/2020\/08\/08\/brett-favre-opioids-green-eagle-cbd\/\">Brett Favre<\/a> have all joined the green rush as endorsers, investors, and owners of legal cannabis businesses. And all of these gridiron greats are proud advocates of the plant\u2019s pain management and recovery benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Just in time for the Thanksgiving Day game, we put together a list of former players who are now in the cannabis industry.<\/p>\n<h2>Quarterbacks<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" alt class=\"wp-image-39624 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana has multiple investments in legal cannabis. (AP Photo\/Lennox McLennon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Joe Montana<\/h3>\n<p>Four-time Super Bowl champion Joe Montana is considered by many one of the greatest players of all time. He\u2019s also part of a venture capital firm that made a sizable investment into the legal cannabis industry. <\/p>\n<p>The firm invested $75 million into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/brands\/caliva-products\">Caliva<\/a>, although it was not disclosed how much of it came from Montana. And in 2017 he was part of a $4.1 million dollar invest in a cannabis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj14_Lu3LH0AhUWSDABHclDCp4QFnoECAMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leafly.com%2Fnews%2Findustry%2Fnfl-hall-of-famer-joe-montana-invests-in-cannabis-media-outlet&usg=AOvVaw0gPNJJOnKvfzQuKCCkgm_t\">media company<\/a> named Herb. Joe clearly sees the potential green in green.<\/p>\n<h3>Jim McMahon<\/h3>\n<p>After suffering numerous concussions and being diagnosed with early onset dementia, McMahon has called medical marijuana a godsend for relief it provides from the lasting pain of his 15-year career.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong><span>Sleeper picks:<\/span><\/strong> Gunslingers Brett Favre and Jake Plummer are both endorsing CBD products in retirement, and former Heisman winner Troy Smith is also in the budding field.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-running-backs\">Running Backs<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" alt class=\"wp-image-79438 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-2.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-2.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-2.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-2.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Ricky Williams put his career on the line to fight for cannabis rights. (Steven Senne\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Ricky Williams<\/h3>\n<p>He retired from the NFL while still in his prime, after multiple suspensions for use and eventually returned to the league and continued to be a top performer at his position.<\/p>\n<p>The Heisman winner has now started a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/the-roll-up-bonus-episode-nfl-great-ricky-williams-talks-cannabis-healing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cannabis company<\/a>, Highsman, which he will use to continue to fight the negative perceptions that impacted his career.<\/p>\n<h3>Marshawn Lynch<\/h3>\n<p>Marshawn is big a fan of Skittles candy, and we have a hunch he he\u2019d enjoy smoking the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/zkittlez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Zkittlez<\/a> strain out of his diamond-infused blunt brand, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lastprisonerproject.org\/marshawn-lynchs-dodi-blunts-teams-up-with-last-prisoner-project-to-launch-apprenticeship-program-for-justice-impacted-individuals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dodi Blunts<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Lynch is a 100% owner of the blunt company, and considers himself the lab rat and marketing team for the operation.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong><span>Sleeper pick:<\/span><\/strong> If those backs are off the board, consider <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/04\/30\/health\/nfl-marijuana-mike-james-profile-exclusive\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mike James<\/a>, who made history in 2018 by requesting a medical exemption to use weed instead of pain killers.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-receivers\">Receivers<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img alt class=\"wp-image-147990 has-ll lazyload\" width=\"724\" height=\"482\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-3.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-3.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-3.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-3.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Projected Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson said players could get painkillers like they were \u201ccandy\u201d during the first half of his career with the Detroit Lions. (Rick Osentoski\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Calvin Johnson<\/h3>\n<p>Johnson ended his Hall of Fame career early after establishing himself as one of the greatest to ever play receiver. <\/p>\n<p>He would often smoke weed after games to alleviate his pain, but one can only wonder if some of that pain was due to the existential crisis that comes from playing for the Detroit Lions. <\/p>\n<p>None the less, Calvin has taken his love and respect for the plant into business with his Primitiv company, alongside his former Lions teammate Rob Sims. The company plans to grow high quality marijuana and help the plant get appreciated instead of vilified, especially by sports leagues.<\/p>\n<h3>Josh Gordon<\/h3>\n<p>Along with Ricky Williams, Josh Gordon is one of the names most synonymous with the NFL\u2019s archaic marijuana policies. After being suspended for the bulk of his career, many agree that Gordon had his prime playing days stolen from him strictly due to his use of the plant. <\/p>\n<h3>Percy Harvin<\/h3>\n<p>The plant is associated with slow and relaxed stoners, but this hot-tempered speedster broke all of those stereotypes when he revealed that he played every single game of his career high on cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>His affection for smoking before games never effected his performance, either. Harvin excelled as a key part of Florida University\u2019s 2006 and 2008 championship seasons, as well as the Seattle Seahawks 2013 Super Bowl win.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><span>Sleeper pick:<\/span> Way back in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/news\/story?id=2137525\">2005<\/a>, Randy Moss caught heat for admitting he indulged in the forbidden crop. Typical \u201crole model\u201d critiques followed, mostly from coaches and media who still bought into false stigmas about the plant.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-tight-ends\">Tight Ends<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt class=\"wp-image-186364 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.webp,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.webp,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.webp,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.webp,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Martellus Bennett is an outspoken advocate of normalization and legalization. (Gregory Payan\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Martellus Bennett<\/h3>\n<p>The talkative tight end went on record saying almost 90 percent of the NFL are cannabis users. He put his money where his mouth is by posting himself enjoying the plant on social media. <\/p>\n<p>Bennett has said he has investments in cannabis companies and plans to open a dispensary that uses his own creative genius for a marketing edge.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><span>Sleeper pick:<\/span> Notorious party animal and touchdown machine Rob Gronkowski said that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/cbd-has-helped-rob-gronkowski-play-football-again\/\">CBD helped him<\/a> return to football again after an early retirement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-offensive-line\">Offensive Line<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt class=\"wp-image-186428 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-4.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-4.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-4.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-4.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Laremy Tunsil almost had his NFL dreams ruined by a photo of him smoking weed. (Joshua McCoy\/Ole Miss Athletics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Laremy Tunsil<\/h3>\n<p>Laremy Tunsil had one of the moment memorable draft day slides ever. The projected top pick slid to 13 in the draft after a picture was released of him smoking a bong through a gas mask.<\/p>\n<p>The photo was released just as the draft was beginning, in an apparent attempt to sabotage his draft stock. Laremy has proven that the incident did not affect his playing ability, fighting to become a top performer throughout his career.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"716\" alt class=\"wp-image-147992 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-5.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-5.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-5.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-5.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Eugene Monroe is one of the league\u2019s most respected cannabis advocates. (Darron Cummings\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Eugene Monroe<\/h3>\n<p>Eugene touts himself as the first active NFL player to advocate for the use of cannabis to help treat the pain that comes from playing football.<\/p>\n<p>Monroe retired at 29, citing head trauma. He now speaks from first hand experience on how cannabis can change the life of players dealing with these problems. In 2016, the NFLPA created a committee to study pain management among players. Peers named Monroe the founding member.<\/p>\n<h3>Rob Sims<\/h3>\n<p>Sims is now working with former Lions and current All-Reefer teammate Calvin Johnson to open several cannabis locations across Michigan.<\/p>\n<p>The duo has also partnered with Harvard University to support further research on the plant.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" alt class=\"wp-image-45367 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-6.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-6.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-6.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-6.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Eben Britton has teamed up with several former NFL players and other athletes to advocate for the plant. (AP Photo\/Bob Leverone)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Eben Britton<\/h3>\n<p>Former offensive lineman Eben Britton currently hosts the \u201cHotboxing\u201d podcast with Mike Tyson, where weed is almost always in the air. Both Britton and Tyson speak openly about the positive effects cannabis has on their bodies and lives with guests.<\/p>\n<h3>Kyle Turley<\/h3>\n<p>This former All-Pro now has a dispensary in Moreno Valley, California with Shango. He faced suspension during his career for positive tests and has spoken about how pharmaceuticals caused \u201chorrific\u201d side effects for players who were not allowed to use cannabis for pain relief.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-defensive-line\">Defensive Line<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"1023\" height=\"756\" alt class=\"wp-image-186366 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-7.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-7.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-7.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-7.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Hall of Famer Warren Sapp played the last four years of his 13-year NFL career with the Oakland Raiders before retiring in 2007. (Paul Sakuma\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Warren Sapp<\/h3>\n<p>Sapp was an unstoppable force coming out of the University of Miami and was a clear top pick in-the-making despite having tested positive for marijuana as a freshman.<\/p>\n<p>Sapp says he failed his second weed test during the NFL combine, which caused him to slip to the 12<sup>th<\/sup> pick. As a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, he dominated the league, despite a 1997 weed charge for a little over 12 grams. <\/p>\n<p>Sapp would win a Super Bowl with Bucs and eventually joined the Hall of Fame. His success left the 11 teams that passed on him kicking themselves for missing out on his top shelf talent all because of a weed test.<\/p>\n<h3>Marvin Washington<\/h3>\n<p>After his impressive pro and college career, Marvin became an investor in several cannabis companies. He also worked as an advocate for numerous righteous causes spanning from the Last Prisoner Project, to a lawsuit filed against United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions which calls for cannabis to be taken off the Schedule 1 drug list.<\/p>\n<h3>David Irving<\/h3>\n<p>In 2019 Irving was suspended from the NFL for a positive drug test and abruptly quit the game, leading many to believe he simply couldn\u2019t handle his vice. On the contrary, Irving was a man with a plan who was determined to stay true to his beliefs. <\/p>\n<p>Irving later explained, \u201cI gave up football for a bigger cause. I want to change the bias toward marijuana. I want to educate America that it\u2019s not a drug, it\u2019s medicine. The real reason I\u2019m not in the NFL is that I\u2019d rather be out here saving lives.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He now has many cannabis products including Cannabis Passport, a newspaper of sorts with 100 rolling papers, giving you something to read while you roll.<\/p>\n<h3>Chris Long<\/h3>\n<p>Long has often used his large platform to talk about how cannabis was vilified, and how it became a common tool for players coping with the harsh realities of the NFL. <\/p>\n<p>After playing 11 years and winning Super Bowls with the Patriots and Eagles, Long commented on the hypocrisy around the plant saying, \u201cYou know, it\u2019s far less dangerous than guzzling a fifth of alcohol and going out after a game.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-linebackers\">Linebackers<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"600\" height=\"800\" alt class=\"wp-image-186367 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.webp,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.webp,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.webp,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-1.webp,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Don\u2019t hog the blunt around LT. (George Miller\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Lawrence Taylor<\/h3>\n<p>Considered by many to be the best linebacker of all time, Taylor was known for his relentless style of play on and off the field. <\/p>\n<p>Today, the Hall of Famer is working in cannabis with PotNetworking Holding INC. Once considered the master of pain, LT is now trying to relieve some of the damage he caused opponents with \u201cLT Master Pain\u201d CBD oil. <\/p>\n<p>The three-time Defensive Player of the Year was also linked with much harder drugs and nefarious behavior (hence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nfHOQAT0-Mk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this classic scene<\/a> from the movie <em>The<\/em> <em>Waterboy<\/em>), but Taylor has found a new balance using CBD daily to treat his pain. <\/p>\n<h3>Lofa Tatupa<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike many of the other players on this list, Tatupu says he didn\u2019t start using cannabis until after his days in the NFL. Tatupu made the Pro Bowl all of his first three seasons and was voted an All-Pro once in that span. <\/p>\n<p>Tatupu launched a CBD startup named \u201cZoneIn,\u201d and credits CBD with dramatically changing his post football life after having to deal with after effect of multiple concussions and surgeries.<\/p>\n<h3>Derrick Morgan<\/h3>\n<p>The career Tennessee Titan spent his nine years with the same organization and has shown similarl loyalty to the cannabis industry. Along with Eugene Monroe (above), Morgan has worked hard to break the stigma.<\/p>\n<p>Morgan and Monroe appeared in a 2016 interview with Katie Couric on the topic while Morgan was still in the league. He has also founded many committees that aim to bring the healing benefits of the plant to the forefront of conversations. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-secondary\">Secondary<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" alt class=\"wp-image-186369 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-8.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-8.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-8.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-8.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>We hope Tyrann Mathieu, AKA the \u201cHoney Badger,\u201d has had a chance to smoke some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/honey-badger-haze\">Honey Badger Haze<\/a>. (Patrick Semansky\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Tyrann Mathieu<\/h3>\n<p>Tyrann was a top safety while at LSU and looked like he was primed for NFL success, until his marijuana habit almost derailed everything. <\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/strains\/honey-badger-haze\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Honey Badger<\/a> was able to recapture to the superstar level he was known for in college. Now a Super Bowl champion, we\u2019re not blowing smoke when we say he\u2019s been a huge part of his Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 recent years of success.<\/p>\n<h3>Chris McCallister<\/h3>\n<p>Chris was a starting cornerback for some of the most feared defenses of the century. He won a Super Bowl and was named to three Pro Bowls, but became associated with weed when cops responded to a burglary at his house, found his stash, and charged him with possession.<\/p>\n<h3>Rashard Anderson<\/h3>\n<p>Anderson is a clear case of how the NFL\u2019s old weed policy was detrimental to players\u2019 careers and lives. The 2000 first round pick only played two seasons before receiving an indefinite suspension from former commissioner Paul Tagliabue for positive tests.<\/p>\n<p>He is one of the many players whose lifetime of hard work was impacted by false stigmas about the plant.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><span>Sleeper Pick<\/span>: Four-time Pro Bowler Sam Madison has a Super Bowl ring and a partnership with Diamonds CBD brands.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\">\n<h2 id=\"h-special-teams\">Special Teams<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"800\" height=\"533\" alt class=\"wp-image-186415 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-9.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-9.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-9.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players-9.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Punter Chris Kluwe seems like a cool guy to light one and kick it with. (Brace Hemmelgarn \/ USA TODAY Sports)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Chris Kluwe<\/h3>\n<p>Don\u2019t underrate how valuable a good punter will be to your pot squad. Chris Kluwe\u2019s boot will be clutch in fourth and twenty situations. And his advocacy for weed over pills likely played a role in the NFL\u2019s recent adjustment of testing and punishment for weed which raised the threshold and lowered punishments for positive tests.<\/p>\n<h3>Pat McAfee<\/h3>\n<p>Outspoken kicker Pat McAfee is enjoying a post-NFL career as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JEdVgv3uvck\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">podcaster<\/a> and WWE Smackdown commentator. McAfee once faced pop-test from the league after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/blog\/indianapolis-colts\/post\/_\/id\/16545\/colts-punter-pat-mcafees-420-tweet-leads-him-to-take-nfl-drug-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeting<\/a> about 4\/20. Now, he uses his platform to normalize use among athletes and fans, and even partners with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/brands\/cbdmd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CBDmd<\/a> for advertising.<\/p>\n<h3>Deion Sanders<\/h3>\n<p>The man known simply as \u201cPrimetime\u201d is exactly who you want returning kicks with the game on the line. <\/p>\n<p>The legendary defender and special teams weapon has also been a supportive voice for cannabis reform, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/en\/news-release\/2019\/02\/05\/1710560\/0\/en\/Marijuana-Company-of-America-s-hempSMART-CBD-Products-Promoted-at-Super-Bowl-LIII.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CBD<\/a> access for athletes and mass <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/entertainers-athletes-double-down-on-biden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">presidential pardons<\/a> for all non-violent cannabis offenders.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.jpg\" alt=\"Thomas Augustine's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Thomas Augustine<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Thomas is Diversity and Inclusion Manager for Ember Gardens, where he works to undo the horrible effects the War on Drugs.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/thomas-augustine\">View Thomas Augustine’s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --> <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-11-24 18:17:23 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Draft your fantasy football team of cannabis advocates and industry players – Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The NFL has never welcomed weed. But last April, the league announced it will no longer test players for THC during the off-season (April 20 to August 9). This approach is a huge shift from… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/draft-your-fantasy-football-team-of-cannabis-advocates-and-industry-players.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}