Roger Goodell, Larry Fitzgerald Comment on NFL's Policy on Marijuana

The NFL's harsh penalties for marijuana use have been the subject of debate for years, and commissioner Roger Goodell and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald both touched on the topic Friday.  

Speaking at a forum for the Walter Payton Man of the Year nominees, Goodell and Fitzgerald both provided responses to a question regarding less punitive punishments for players who test positive in the future, according to the Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala: 

During a meeting with reporters Thursday, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith addressed the possibility of altering the league's drug policy to implement medical marijuana as a possible use for pain relief as opposed to opioids. 

"We’re looking at the issue comprehensively when it comes to medical marijuana, but we’re looking at it as an issue of pain," he said, according to Jhabvala. 

The current drug policy was agreed upon by the league and the players in 2014, and a new one cannot be enacted unless both sides strike a deal to replace the previous version. 

However, the NFL and NFLPA appear to be embracing proactive mindsets with possible reform on the way. 

"We've had several conversations about this issue, and several years ago we did take a less punitive approach to marijuana," Goodell told FS1's Colin Cowherd, per the Washington Post's Mark Maske. "That will be one of the subjects in the collective bargaining process, which we’d like to get into sooner rather than later."

Those conversations figure to intensify in the coming weeks and months.

According to Maske, Smith disclosed that the NFLPA has already drafted a proposal that would reduce punishments with regard to players' recreational use of marijuana.