NFLPA Wants to Utilize Players' Families in Marijuana Ban Removal

In an effort to convince the NFL to be more lenient in its policy against the use of marijuana, the NFL Players Association is attempting to involve the players' family members.

According to Alex Marvez of Sporting News, union executive George Atallah said Friday that the NFLPA wants to work with those close to the players to ensure marijuana would be used for pain management rather than recreationally.

Atallah told Marvez and Geoff Schwartz on SiriusXM NFL Radio that researchers suggests some players who test positive for marijuana are using it in an effort to avoid opioids:

"We believe that is the result of players trying to deal with managing pain on their own as opposed to going through a medical professional. If that's the case, we need to really take a hard look at what's causing them to self-medicate, how we can take better care of players in the locker room and how we can incorporate frankly all of the families of players into this solution. The disciplinary aspect of it is one thing. But what we're really trying to focus on is helping players get better without having to resort to things like Toradol and heavy opioids."

The NFL has yet to budge on its marijuana stance, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said on ESPN's Mike & Mike (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk) in April that marijuana may not be a healthy alternative for players:

"I think you still have to look at a lot of aspects of marijuana use. Is it something that can be negative to the health of our players? Listen, you're ingesting smoke, so that's not usually a very positive thing that people would say. It does have addictive nature. There are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term. All of those things have to be considered. And it's not as simple as someone just wants to feel better after a game. We really want to help our players in that circumstance but I want to make sure that the negative consequences aren’t something that is something that we'll be held accountable for some years down the road."

As things stand, it takes four positive marijuana tests for a player to be suspended four games.

Several former players have come forward as advocates for the use of marijuana for pain management, including offensive linemen Eugene Monroe and Kyle Turley and running back Ricky Williams.