Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Eugene Monroe has been very outspoken about his views on marijuana. He says the NFL should research the effects it has and look into whether or not players should be allowed to use it to help in pain management.
In March, Monroe sent out 44 tweets on the subject and called for his fellow players to support the cause. He's also given multiple interviews on the subject as well.
Monroe is not so much advocating for marijuana to be taken off the NFL's banned substances list. He simply wants the NFL and NFLPA to conduct research to see if it should be, and now he has at least one ally in that fight: Tennessee Titans linebacker Derrick Morgan.
"I feel like the NFL has a responsibility to look into it, to delegate time and money to research this for its players," Morgan said, per Yahoo! Global News. "I think for the NFL to say that cannabis does not benefit the long-term health of its players without actually having gone and done the research -- I don't think that's an accurate statement."
There is a school of thought that marijuana would be a safer pain-management alternative than the countless anti-inflammatory meds and other prescription drugs that players currently take to keep themselves on the field. Monroe and Morgan, among others, would like to know if that's actually the case.
There have been numerous cases of former players becoming addicted to prescription drugs in there post-NFL lives, so searching for a safer alternative is wise. Whether that alternative is marijuana or not, it makes sense to look into other solutions.
The Titans responded to Morgan's comments with the following statement, per TitansInsider.com:
"Derrick is a valued member of the Tennessee Titans. While we will decline comment on the content of his statements, we respect Derrick a great deal, and we believe our players always have the right to express their viewpoints on topics about which they are passionate."
