Law & Politics
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Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond

The Seahawks have a long and colorful history with violating the NFL’s league rules on substance abuse. In so far as the league is cracking down on PEDs, I support their diligence. The NFL is hard and competitive enough without tolerating cheating. And if they don’t crack down on cheating, they are basically saying it’s ok to juice.

It looks as though Seattle’s star cornerback Brandon Browner is possibly facing a one-year suspension for failing a random drug screening. The NFL initially reported he tested positive for PEDs. Browner and his agent are staunchly refuting the report, but considering Browner’s history with this stuff, it’s hard not to think he’s just covering his ass.

Another Seahawks cornerback, Walter Thurmond was also recently suspended for 4 games due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Though I am a diehard 49er fan and am quietly smiling at the Seahawk’s troubles (they are in front of SF in the playoff race), I have to, as a responsible weedist, discuss these recent suspensions.

It is known here in Seattle that Thurmond and (probably) Browner were suspended for smoking cannabis, not using PEDs. This is just another example of the NFL adhering to an outdated stance on cannabis. These guys are suspended for doing something that a city cop wouldn’t even arrest them for anymore. Granted, they signed a contract as an NFL player and they can’t really claim that they didn’t know what they were doing when they get busted with weed. But, I still think it’s a damn shame that these guys can’t seek pain relief or relaxation from a substance that is safer and less performance-enhancing than Tylenol.

Thurmond and Browner live in a state that legalized cannabis, and they tested positive for THC. Anywhere outside of WA or CO (and apparently the NFL), this is tantamount to suspending a player because he had a few beers after practice. They didn’t do anything illegal, per se. They did violate the contract they signed with the league, however, which leaves them at the mercy of league lawyers.

I don’t know Walter Thurmond or Brandon Browner personally, so I can’t speak as to why they chose to use cannabis. Whether it was to ease bodily pain and mental stress or simply just to cut loose, get high and enjoy this stellar Seahawk’s season, it shouldn’t really even register on the league’s radar. Even though the team’s struggles stand to help out my Niners, I can’t just join the party bus and wipe my hate all over these guys. Browner? Maybe. It remains to be seen how much truth there is to his alleged PED use. If he is a dirty, dirty cheater, I hold no sympathy for him. But Thurmond? I can’t justly condemn the guy without the words tasting of hypocrisy in my mouth.

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In the NFL, I think cannabis use should be more of a matter of common sense and propriety. If your players are legitimately performing poorly as a result of cannabis, then talk to that specific player or cut his ass from the team. If a player likes to get high, but keeps it off the field and isn’t showing any hinderance, what is the big fucking deal? Thurmond and Browner (and I’ll bet the bevy other NFL players who’ve been in this conundrum) more than likely have been smoking weed here and there without incident. The only reason it becomes common knowledge is after the random UA detects THC. To hit that point again, it is not a performance issue that triggered this investigation. It is random drug screens. I support the screening for PED’s, but cannabis shouldn’t even be looked for.

The way that evidence of cannabis use lingers in our bodies is not even comparable to alcohol. A blind drunk binger can stop drinking and after about a day, no traces show up. You can take one puff off a joint and test positive up to a month or longer after the toke. If I was an NFL coach, I would rather my whole team smoked a blunt after practice or a game than go to the bar or do keg stands. It may linger longer, but the mark it leaves on the body and athletic ability is statistically negligible. But not alcohol, that shit leaves your body almost instantly, but it takes a much greater toll on the mind/body.

C’mon NFL! Use the read-option of common sense and stop putting players on the sidelines for getting stoned.