The former Philadelphia Eagle, Lito Sheppard, wants to fly a different kind of high in Pennsylvania. Sheppard, now 35 and retired from the NFL, is vying to enter the licensed medical marijuana market in Chester, Pennsylvania.
And he’s not the only retired NFL player trading the gridiron for the ganja. Philly.com counts Franco Harris, Eugene Monroe and Charlie Adams as the three other ex-NFL players now competing with Sheppard for one of Pennsylvania’s highly covered medical cannabis grow licenses.
Pennsylvania will license 12 cultivation facilities and 81 medical marijuana dispensaries sometime this year, with sales expected to begin in 2018.
While a financial opportunity for all four men, the article indicates that it’s also “an affirmation of what [the players]learned in years smashing and crashing into and on top of 300-pound opponents.” With the opioid epidemic and pain pills a driving force in the NFL, these men also see cannabis as a healthier form of treatment.
Harris, a Pittsburgh Steeler legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, believes that cannabis can help make Pennsylvania a better state.
“It’s a healing venture in both realms. That’s what we hope will happen. It can help the community and people suffering from physical pain.”
In the ‘70s, Harris brought the Steelers four Super Bowl rings as a running back; now, the Penn State Alum wants to bring 50-70 jobs to the struggling steel town of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Like Harris, Lito Sheppard also approaches the cannabis industry with a heartfelt ethos.
Sheppard wants to bring jobs to the struggling town of Chester, Pennsylvania because he believes “This is about helping people. I feel like this is a place that could benefit from a new company, and we plan on doing everything we can to provide the resources to benefit that community.”
Former NFL running back, cannabis entrepreneur, and Marijuana.com contributor Ricky Williams has a theory as to why his peers are targeting this industry:
The best piece of business advice I’ve ever received was, “invest in what you know.” That advice meant nothing to me until cannabis became a viable business opportunity. As athletes, we are approached constantly about business opportunities, and I haven’t seen this many athletes get as excited about putting their money into any other industry. I think the ability to invest in something that has been a part of our lives and that we understand is extremely appealing.
As Ricky indicates, it’s impossible to talk about cannabis and the NFL without talking about the league’s concussion epidemic and drug policy. One in seven NFL players struggle with opioid abuse while trying to cope with pain from playing in the league.
Numerous articles within the last year have dubbed pot as replacement for pain pills and wondered if weed could end the NFL’s concussion epidemic. Meanwhile, as active and former players explore cannabis’ medical benefits, the league continually suspends players who violate the NFL’s outdated drug policies.
As former athletes like Harris and Sheppard continue to preach for medical marijuana reform in and outside the sport, hopefully the league’s approach to cannabis will mirror their players’ popular beliefs.
credit: marijuana.com
