NFL and Marijuana: A Deeper Look
Ahsan Khan
Hey Class! This is my smore page about my summative. This topic will be explored through different real-life cases. Some cases include the Ray Rice case, Antonio Gates PED scandal and the recent Laremy Tunsil case which led to him losing out on millions of dollars. I compare both sides of the "story", looking at the positives and negatives and how marijuana should/should not be regulated by the NFL. Furthermore my infographic relays statistical information and shows how Marijuana is the #1 cause for suspensions and has led to loss of revenue from the NFL. Furthermore it shows how many fans do not see NFL players as role models due to the most of the league indulging in marijuana use, domestic violence and PED use. I will be stating my opinions on these issues and will come to a conclusion based on the research about how NFL should/should not be involved in marijuana cases
Research Question: NFL's policy and rules have caused players who smoke marijuana to be suspended the same duration as players who commit acts of violence or use PED's. Marijuana does not affect or increase an athletes performance if used properly. Because of this, should the NFL handle cases regarding marijuana or consider changes?
Major Findings of Research
Does Marijuana Affect Athletic Performance?
What happens to the body when you use marijuana?
Marijuana contains cannabinoids which include THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the ingredient that is responsible for the side effects. (bengreenfieldfitness , n.d) . Within your neurons there contains cannabinoid receptors on the presynaptic and post-synaptic membranes. THC binds to cannabinoid receptor 1 while another ingredient named cannabinol binds to receptor 2. These receptors then affect pain, psychological processes and more.
Usage of marijuana and how it affects NFL players
Marijuana is a recreational drug which is known and used largely worldwide. The intake of Marijuana has many "sudden" effects on the human body, many of which fade away quickly. Marijuana also known as cannabis is common with NFL players. While it is illegal in the sport of football, many NFL players have stood up as advocates to make it legal in the sport as it does not harm a player if used properly. Furthermore, in the NHL, marijuana is a legal recreational drug. This has made many people wonder as to why marijuana is a suspendable cause in the NFL. Firstly, Marijuana increases the heart rate, so blood flow increases. This strains the ventricles causing a reduction in stroke volume. Increased heart rate and a lower stroke volume results in a cardiac output which is lower than a normal athlete in the NFL. This is the "negative" to marijuana use as this effect occurs from its abuse and is a reason as to why the NFL has marijuana as a banned substance. Marijuana affects the proper functioning of the nervous system, affects motor coordination and slows down reaction time and hand-eye coordination reducing sports performance instead of enhancing (Wentworth, n.d.). Continuing on, cannabinoids such as marijuana suppress pain and relieve it. Many NFL players use it for this reason. This is the "positive" to marijuana use in NFL players and is an alternative proof and reasoning
Are the suspensions for Marijuana users fair?
Included Subthemes: League Rules/policies, Illegality, Equality
Reality of Reputation in Sport
Included Subthemes: Maintaining Fans, Media, Revenue, Stigma, Societal Norm
What is my position on the question?
After researching information to make a statement on the question and also looking at both sides of argument, I came to the conclusion that NFL should handle cases regarding marijuana as they are doing so right now but there needs to be changes made to the policy regarding suspensions. Firstly, through research, I found that even though marijuana is "used properly" (meaning no overdose) , it still has side effects which affect the human body later on. If young athletes smoke marijuana, this can be very harmful to them as they usually develop and become superior in the midst of their career. Those harmful effects such as lowering cardiac output and affecting the nervous system(reaction time and coordination) degrade a players ability to perform at a top-notch level and beat out the competition. Furthermore, fans will not want to watch NFL games due to players not playing at their highest levels. It is estimated that approximately 50% of NFL players use or have smoked marijuana during their careers. Even though players such as Josh Gordon (WR for Browns) used marijuana, he put up league leading recieving numbers. But , it is highly possible that those results wont return in the future due to health effects associated with marijuana use. Continuing on, through the research of duration of suspensions (marijuana vs other), it led me to further my position that the NFL should be involved but policies should be changed. Looking at the Ray Rice case, he was suspended originally for 2 games. Furthermore, Antonio Gates used PED's and got a 4 game suspension. Comparing this to players who are caught for smoking marijuana, the players get 4 game suspensions for the first time. The PED suspension could possibly be fair but Ray Rice was given 2 games which was eventually changed. Violence and abuse, in my opinion is a worse situation than a player who goes over the limit for marijuana. This is why I believe that NFL should still be involved in cases regarding marijuana but need to consider making changes to policies/suspensions. Marijuana testing is done once a year during a certain time period. After that players are free. The NFL should change this ruling and make the drug test a random occurrence throughout the year. This will cause players to think about their actions before smoking marijuana. This also leads to another theme which is "Reality of Reputation in Sport". The reality is that fans will support a league that is free of violence and drug use due to the stigmas evolving around them for being a "bad" or negative" thing. If players smoke marijuana, it will result in a huge loss for the player and the NFL as a whole as sponsors will leave and so will the reputation of the league. After all, NFL should continue to handle cases involving players using marijuana due to the reasons stated and should also consider changes to accommodate for equality
What are the limitations to the research?
Regarding my question, there are a variety of stakeholders (people/parties involved) that play a role in my research question. Firstly the stakeholders are the NFL players who have been involved in cases regarding marijuana/violence/steroid use. All of them have received suspensions. Some of the recent ones include
- Josh Gordon (marijuana use, 16 games- abuser)
- Sheldon Richardson (marijuana use, 4 games)
- Martavis Bryant (marijuana use, 4 games)
- Rolando McClain (marijuana use, 4 games)
- Antonio Gates (PED use, 4 games)
- Derek Wolfe (PED use, 4 games)
- Demarcus Lawrence (PED use, 4 games)
- Greg Hardy (Personal Conduct, 10 game suspension changed to 4 games)
- Ray Rice (Personal Conduct, 2 game suspension changed to indefinite amount)
Furthermore, some other parties include the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, as he is the one handing out the suspensions. Also the NFLPA (NFL players association) is also involved in the question. Players are a part of the NFLPA and have to abide by the rulings that the NFLPA has agreed on with the NFL.
Through the process of completing my research, many new questions popped up and a few new themes to further explore in detail. Some of the questions were
- Is marijuana considered to be a worse offence than physical abuse to a human?
- Should the NFL consider testing its players more than once in a year?
- Since marijuana is becoming legalized in many states and places, should the NFL do so to?
- How many fans, revenue, sponsors have players or the NFL lost after being suspended for marijuana use.
Furthermore, another topic/theme that would be worth researching in detail for the future would be to compare NFL marijuana policy with other leagues policies to see if NFL is too "soft" or "rough" and also compare other suspensions as well
Survey
Citations
- Hashing it Out: Debating the NFL's Drug Policy - A Sidelines Showdown. (2014). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from https://sidelinesapp.com/item/sidelines-showdown-hashing-it-out-debating-the-nfls-drug-policy/
Opinion: NFL drug policy flawed, not broken. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://thelantern.com/2014/09/opinion-nfl-drug-policy-flawed-not-broken/
Why the NFL Drug Policy Makes Sense. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/why-the-nfl-drug-policy-makes-sense/
The Center for Wellness and Disability ServicesWellness Education, Counseling Services, Disability Services. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://www.wit.edu/Counseling/wellness/athletic-performance.html
The Effect Of Weed On Exercise. (2015). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/2015/04/the-effect-of-weed-on-exercise/
Frank, V. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/vincentfrank/2015/07/03/recent-suspension-shows-just-how-out-of-touch-nfls-marijuana-policy-is/#530494cb3260
2015 NFL Fines & Suspenstions. (n.d.). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/fines-suspensions/2015/suspensions/
[Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dbcgmp5q1c16s.cloudfront.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/05162105/Reasons-For-Suspensions.png
The NFL's Marijuana Non-Problem - The Sports Post. (2014). Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://thesportspost.com/nfl-suspensions-marijuana-josh-gordon/#axzz4ACjezv63
McCann, A. (2014). The NFL’s Uneven History Of Punishing Domestic Violence. Retrieved June 05, 2016, from http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/nfl-domestic-violence-policy-suspensions/
NFL 2015 suspension tracker. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/27/nfl-2015-suspension-tracker/
Garafolo, M. (n.d.). Josh Gordon fails another NFL-administered drug test. Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/josh-gordon-fails-another-nfl-administered-drug-test-041116
Press, T. A. (2015). Greg Hardy, Cowboys defensive end, has suspension reduced - CBC Sports - Football - NFL. Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/nfl/greg-hardy-cowboys-defensive-end-has-suspension-reduced-1.3147115
Just 46% of fans believe NFL players are good role models. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.si.com/nfl-fan-poll-2014/conduct
NFL Players View Pot as a Savior. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2486218-banned-but-bountiful-marijuana-coveted-by-nfl-players-as-invaluable-painkiller
Blog Archives. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://patohearneproject.weebly.com/welcome-to-the-pat-ohearne-project/archives/10-2015
2016 NFL Fines & Suspenstions. (n.d.). Retrieved June 09, 2016, from http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/fines-suspensions/