First things first... As a lifetime KC Chiefs fan I have to congratulate the Red Kingdom for the big Super Bowl win!!! Our boys did the work and turned up on Super Bowl Sunday! This fan will be riding this high for a long time, and I Can Not Wait for next season. I also want to throw a shout out to Katie Sowers! First woman to coach in the Super Bowl!!! What a historic and exciting time we are living in!

Editors Note: This article talks about suicide and suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression/suicidal thoughts please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). NFL players, coaches, staff & family members can call the NFL line at 1-800-506-0078.

Every time I watch sports, and especially full contact sports like football, I can't help but worry about the players bodys and brains. These boys bodies take punishing blow after punishing blow... The trauma is relentless and life changing for all of them, but for some it can mean total devastation. You hear story after story of current and former players living with chronic pain & debilitating anxiety & depression. Living on fist fulls of pills that either do not work or cause a lifelong struggle with addiction. For so long this has just been the price that players have had to pay to play the game that they love so so much. Recently the Pain Management Committee of the NFL went on a fact finding mission, looking into cannabinoids (namely CBD) as a way to help players with pain management that does not include addictive and dangerous medications. 

The players have been begging the NFL for years to allow them to use cannabis as a form of pain management, giving them an alternative to accepting their fate as life long addicts. There are many former players who claim that cannabis has saved their life and are busy blazing trails to get the word out and do all they can to change the mind of the NFL. Many players have made the decision to donate their brains to sports science to study the long term effects of a life in full contact sports.

Kyle Turley

Kyle is a former offensive tackle who played for the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and our beloved Kansas City Chiefs. He ended his career with a few unwanted souvenirs... rage, depression, suicidal thoughts, addiction, & a failing marriage, just to name a few. He states "cannabis saved my life" He has been a very outspoken advocate of cannabis as medicine as well as speaking out against the NFLs current policy, stating in interviews that pills are handed out "like candy" by the team doctors. Having experienced many concussions over his career and suffering with mental health issues and chronic pain as a result, Kyle is on a mission to pave the way for future players. Kyle has a son who he believes will want to follow in Dads footsteps and it is imperative to him that it will be a safer sport when that time comes. He not only speaks out all over, he also launched his own CBD brand called NERO XPF and he founded the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition. 

Eugene Monroe

Eugene was the first active player to speak out publicly about his cannabis use and it seems to have cost him his job with the Baltimore Ravens. If they were hoping to quiet him with this move, it was a categorical failure... His voice has only gotten louder and more powerful. Monroe throws out a call to action to the NFL on his website stating "I'm calling for the NFL to remove marijuana from the banned substances list; fund medical marijuana research, especially as it relates to CTE [Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy]; and stop overprescribing addictive and harmful opiates" The bravery of his March 9th, 2016 statement advocating for he and his fellow teammates has caused ripples of pride in both the NFL and cannabis industries. 

Other former NFL athletes who are speaking out in favor of cannabis as an opiate alternative are legendary KC Chiefs quarterback Joe Montana, retired defensive end Marvin Washington, and former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams. 

The heartbreaking reality of full contact sports such as football is the irreversible damage to the body and brain. Many players end up suffering life long chronic pain from the blows to the body and/or debilitating mental health issues due to the blows to the brain. The hardest part to swallow is the rate of suicide and extreme suicidal thoughts. Many players have lost the battle, and some like Junior Seau have made a statement even in death crying out for answers.

The time is now to find these players effective alternatives to the things that are currently killing them... they deserve that much.