Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Opens Up About Marijuana Legalization; What Did He Say?
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was unsurprisingly voted the league's most popular coach just a day after he opened up about his thoughts on whether he believes the NFL should use medical marijuana as a way to help treat injured players.
Carroll's comments came a time when his team is on the world stage in the week leading up to the highly anticipated Super Bowl in New York. Although it can be a controversial topic, medical marijuana has been used to help cancer patients cope with complications and has also been used for a number of other medical reasons such as for people who have eating disorders or people who suffer from chronic pain.
"I would say that we have to explore and find ways to make our game a better game and take care of our players in whatever way possible," Carroll said during a news conference Monday, just days before his team takes the field at the Super Bowl. "Regardless of what other stigmas might be involved, we have to do this because the world of medicine is doing this."
Although "weed" is still considered a banned substance by the league, medical marijuana is legal in 20 states throughout the U.S. as well as Washington, D.C. Furthermore, "pot" is legal recreationally in Colorado and Washington. There have been discussions about the potential recreational legalization of the drug in New Hampshire as well.
Perhaps the biggest road block that the NFL would run into is determining how to work in accordance with state laws. Considering that there are teams in states where medical marijuana is not yet legal, the NFL might have to wait until it is legal in all states that have a team.
Interestingly enough, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also left the door open to the possibility of allowing players to be treated with marijuana if it were beneficial. At a news conference last week, Goodell said, "We will follow medicine, and if they determine this could be a proper usage in any context, we will consider that."
What do you think about Pete Carroll's comments? Do you think he is in the majority or in the minority when it comes to this? Should the NFL allow players to use the drug for health reasons? In the comments section below, please feel free to let us know what you think.
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