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Clark: NFL players going to use pot
Updated: February 6, 2014, 3:28 PM ET
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Clark: NFL Players Use Pot For Pain, Stress
Ryan Clark says NFL players use marijuana for a variety of reasons, including as a means to cope with pain and manage stress.
Tags: Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Adam Caplan, SportsCenter
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Marijuana And The NFL
Ryan Clark says NFL players, including some of his teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers, turn to smoking marijuana for a variety of reasons, especially as a means to relieve pain and manage stress.
Clark, a 12-year veteran, discussed the topic of marijuana use and the league's testing system Thursday morning on ESPN's "First Take."
"I know guys on my team who smoke," Clark said. "And it's not a situation where you think, 'Oh, these are guys trying to be cool.' These are guys who want to do it recreationally.
"A lot of it is stress relief. A lot of it is pain and medication. Guys feel like, 'If I can do this, it keeps me away from maybe Vicodin, it keeps me away from pain prescription drugs and things that guys get addicted to.' Guys look at this as a more natural way to heal themselves, to stress relieve and also to medicate themselves for pain. Guys are still going to do it."
Updated: February 6, 2014, 3:28 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
7K
604
368
Clark: NFL Players Use Pot For Pain, Stress
Ryan Clark says NFL players use marijuana for a variety of reasons, including as a means to cope with pain and manage stress.
Tags: Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers, Marijuana, Medical Marijuana, Adam Caplan, SportsCenter
NEXT VIDEO video
Marijuana And The NFL
Ryan Clark says NFL players, including some of his teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers, turn to smoking marijuana for a variety of reasons, especially as a means to relieve pain and manage stress.
Clark, a 12-year veteran, discussed the topic of marijuana use and the league's testing system Thursday morning on ESPN's "First Take."
"I know guys on my team who smoke," Clark said. "And it's not a situation where you think, 'Oh, these are guys trying to be cool.' These are guys who want to do it recreationally.
"A lot of it is stress relief. A lot of it is pain and medication. Guys feel like, 'If I can do this, it keeps me away from maybe Vicodin, it keeps me away from pain prescription drugs and things that guys get addicted to.' Guys look at this as a more natural way to heal themselves, to stress relieve and also to medicate themselves for pain. Guys are still going to do it."