The cynic would say that the only reason Jerry is pushing for this is because his best pass rusher is Randy Gregory, the former second round pick who smoked his way out of the first round, and out of the 2017 NFL season.
Jerry’s running back, Ezekiel Elliott, may have, just probably, taken a hit maybe once in his life. Two, tops.
While I embrace cynicism and all of her positive attributes, the NFL needs to modify its attitude towards a bong hit or two or ten. Society has deemed that this is not the devil drug that Nancy Reagan and her “Just Say No” campaign demonized in the 1980s.
States are legalizing it while a stream of ex-NFL players readily admit they smoke to offset the pain incurred from their careers. There are currently 26 states that have legalized weed, including the District of Columbia, just in case my girl Tiffany wants to fire it up on the south lawn of the Mar-a-Lago North.
To make the NFL weed friendly will require both the league and the NFLPA to go back into the collective bargaining agreement and agree to change the language. Name me one active player who would argue on the benefits of punishing weed smokers.
One would have to reach Willie Nelson levels of high to believe the NFL is going to modify this rule quickly enough to make Gregory available this season.
Jerry’s suggestion is entirely about the future of the league, and acknowledging the reality of the U.S. and athletics. Guys smoke it up. The NBA virtually ignores weed, as does MLB. The NHL ... does the NHL even count any more?
Whether it’s for medicinal reasons, or taxable revenue, the needs and benefits of marijuana have been documented and demonstrated enough to be accepted by an increasing percentage of society that to enforce penalties based on their use in the NFL is silly. And outdated.
I distinctly recall one Cowboys player telling the drug tester that he was going to fire up just minutes before he took the drug test. The league was not testing for weed that day and he knew he could smoke with no fear of punishment.
Ostensibly, Jerry would benefit from trashing this rule because he needs a pass rusher. But every owner, GM and head coach in the league stands to gain on this as well.
As the most powerful owner in the NFL, and perhaps in all of North American sports, Jerry is not above pushing an agenda or two for his own personal purposes.
So smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.