Recently, a Buffalo Bills football player named Seantrel Henderson was hit with a 10 game suspension from the NFL. What was the cause of this suspension? Him using medical marijuana to control his crohn's disease. Despite medical marijuana being legal in New York, the NFL has a zero tolerance policy fr medical marijuana which is under fire. The real issue at hand is, if something is legal, and needed to help someone manage pain, why should the NFL punish such an act?
This may be due to the fact that the NFL worries that if they allow some players to use medical marijuana, that the other players will follow in their footsteps as a loophole as a way to use. This is a large issue because we know in other sports and leagues, like the NBA, there is quite a high number of players who are smoking marijuana, yet not suffering any consequences, so why is the NFL so strong on their rules? This is a question I do not know the answer to. Maybe they worry if players use marijuana that they will not get help for their pain as frequently or they will be less likely yo be cautious when it comes to injuries. However, this is hard to believe considering the NFL's lack of help for their players who suffer brain injuries from the sport.
Here is a little background into Henderson's story. He had a part of both his small and large intestine removed in order to help lessen the symptoms of his disease. In addition to that, he had to have a bag attached to him at all times to remove waste from his body, making normal life a hassle and very uncomfortable. Now that he is back in the NFL, he is trying to manage his symptoms while playing, he is being punished for it. What many people do not realize is Crohn's Disease causes horrible pain in the stomach area, makes it very difficult to eat, and to keep any weight on *something that can very much hurt an NFL player who needs their muscles to have a job.) Due to the severe stomach issues those with the disease suffer, many have begun to use medical marijuana as a way to deal with the pain because pain killers are so harsh on the stomach, only intensifying stomach issues.
The NFL really needs to sit down and reevaluate it's rules as laws about things like medical marijuana are changing so rapidly. Famous people like Pete Davidson, from SNL uses medical marijuana to manage his Crohn's Disease as well as acclaimed NBA coach Steve Kerr, used medical marijuana to help him manage pain after a surgery caused a fluid leak in his back. So if people in these positions can use medical marijuana, then why is it such a big deal for someone in the NFL to not use. This especially is frustrating when men have been punished much lesser for domestic abuse by the NFL.
Henderson is appealing the suspension so keeps your eyes on the lookout for the decision which most likely will lead to a large development in the NFL.
