DrLove
Diamond Member
If I'm a coach - I would much rather see one of my payers smoke weed for pain management and stress then drink like a fish and/or take prescription pain meds after every game. The time has come to realize that good people and great athletes DO smoke pot.
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MOAR:
'All my best games I was medicated': Matt Barnes on his game-day use of marijuana
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During his 15-year NBA career, Matt Barnes developed a reliable game-day routine. First there was the morning shoot-around. Then he'd go home for a rest, where he'd do what so many NBA players do during those long afternoons: nap, shower, eat a meal.
But before all that, he'd smoke a joint.
"It wasn't every single game, but in 15 years, it was a lot," Barnes told Bleacher Report in a roundtable discussion about marijuana use in sports published this week.
Any best games?
"All my best games I was medicated," Barnes said.
Reports of widespread marijuana use among pro athletes aren't new, nor are calls for a relaxation of its restriction in sports leagues. Newly retired tight end Martellus Bennett recently told Chris Simms and Adam Lefkoe on their podcast that "about 89 percent" of NFL players use marijuana and that they turn to it as a natural alternative to prescription painkillers. Scaife, who played tight end in the league for six seasons, put the number at about 80 percent. Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams once estimated that 75 to 80 percent of NBA players use marijuana.
Former quarterback Jake Plummer wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated in 2016 calling cannabis "an alternative to the harmful narcotics used today by NFL teams who have been reluctant to embrace new research on hemp-based solutions." Martin told Bleacher Report's roundtable that he thinks marijuana reduced the pain from his multiple major surgeries, while Barnes said it helped with his back, toe and finger injuries while also helping him sleep.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told Bleacher Report that the league is "interested in better understanding the safety and efficacy" of medical marijuana. The NFL, meanwhile, has offered to work with the players association in studying the potential uses of marijuana for pain management. Union chief DeMaurice Smith has talked about finding a "less punitive" approach, saying " it's important to not simply assume recreation is the reason it's being used."
But before all that, he'd smoke a joint.
"It wasn't every single game, but in 15 years, it was a lot," Barnes told Bleacher Report in a roundtable discussion about marijuana use in sports published this week.
Any best games?
"All my best games I was medicated," Barnes said.
Reports of widespread marijuana use among pro athletes aren't new, nor are calls for a relaxation of its restriction in sports leagues. Newly retired tight end Martellus Bennett recently told Chris Simms and Adam Lefkoe on their podcast that "about 89 percent" of NFL players use marijuana and that they turn to it as a natural alternative to prescription painkillers. Scaife, who played tight end in the league for six seasons, put the number at about 80 percent. Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams once estimated that 75 to 80 percent of NBA players use marijuana.
Former quarterback Jake Plummer wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated in 2016 calling cannabis "an alternative to the harmful narcotics used today by NFL teams who have been reluctant to embrace new research on hemp-based solutions." Martin told Bleacher Report's roundtable that he thinks marijuana reduced the pain from his multiple major surgeries, while Barnes said it helped with his back, toe and finger injuries while also helping him sleep.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told Bleacher Report that the league is "interested in better understanding the safety and efficacy" of medical marijuana. The NFL, meanwhile, has offered to work with the players association in studying the potential uses of marijuana for pain management. Union chief DeMaurice Smith has talked about finding a "less punitive" approach, saying " it's important to not simply assume recreation is the reason it's being used."
MOAR:
'All my best games I was medicated': Matt Barnes on his game-day use of marijuana