Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL’s latest marijuana policy has helped players unwind
Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce has been around for quite a bit. From his journey as a former QB at the University of Cincinnati to becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer at TE. With his knowledge of the game also comes the knowledge of loopholes in the NFL, including when it comes to smoking weed.
In an interview Kelce did with Vanity Fair, Kelce estimates that around 50-80% of the NFL players in the league use cannabis. “If you just stop in the middle of July, you’re fine,” he told Vanity Fair. “A lot of guys stop a week before and they still pass because everybody’s working out in the heat and sweating their tail off. Nobody’s really getting hit for it anymore.”
Recreational cannabis was legalized in Kansas City this year. The substance is recreationally cannabis is plenty of other NFL markets, including Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
Vanity Fair mentions that in 2021, the NFL relaxed their stances on marijuana, only testing players within a two week period before the season. In addition, the threshold for a positive test rose, going from 35 ng/ml to 150 ng/ml. Players who tested positive for marijuana wouldn’t be suspended, but his case would be reviewed by a panel who decides if the player needs clinical care.
Kelce has his own experiences with being suspended for weed. In 2009, while Kelce was at Cincinnati, he was suspended for a year for using marijuana. While in the NFL, Kelce hasn’t been suspended for weed use, but with what Kelce said about the new rules and how to get around them, I’m sure he’s found a few loopholes.
