Free agent NFL running back Mike James began dealing with chronic pain issues when he broke his ankle during a game in 2013, and he quickly became one of many players who grew dependent upon prescription painkillers. The 27-year-old has since found what many feel is a safer alternative to managing his discomfort, but the NFL will not allow him to utilize it.
James, who spent the 2017 season with the Detroit Lions but was placed on IR with a concussion in August, told Steve Politi of NJ.com that he applied for a therapeutic-use exemption for marijuana with the NFL league office last month. As expected, he was denied.
“I am hopeful that I’ll be able to keep playing football,” James said. “It is a game that I love very dearly. I know right now I’m doing something that makes some people uncomfortable, and that I’m going against the establishment to push for a change in the way they look at this medicine. I know there’s a greater purpose here for a lot of guys in this league who I consider family members.”
James said he thought nothing of continuously popping pain pills in 2013 because doctors prescribed them and so many NFL players use them. However, he developed a dependence on the drugs and was encouraged by his wife to try marijuana as an alternative.
“I didn’t want to believe the benefits,” James said. “But at that point, I was in so much pain and going through a lot mentally with the demands in the game, I tried it. It gave me instant relief.”
Not wanting to violate NFL rules and fail a drug test, James decided to apply for a TUE. While he understands his stance may discourage some teams from signing him, he feels he has a moral responsibility to speak up about safer pain management methods.
“I hear it all the time from retired players who say, ‘I was so scared to say something when I was playing,'” James said. “We are the engine that drives this league. If we can’t get onto the field with a less harmful medicine and we can’t live our life after football, how are we going to tell our kids to play this game?”
This is not a new issue. Many prominent athletes from different sports have advocated for marijuana use as a means of pain management, and the discussion continues to expand. A 2016 survey indicated NFL players believe marijuana use would lead to fewer painkillers being taken, but the league is holding its ground.
