Marvin Washington, Super Bowl XXXIII champion with the Denver Broncos and former National Football League (NFL) defensive lineman, now serves as an advisor with Leafwell, a leader in medical cannabis telehealth and research. The partnership is highlighting Washington’s passion for advocating athlete wellness and using cannabis as a tool to improve long-term health outcomes.
After a successful 11-year NFL career with several teams including the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos, Washington transitioned to promoting cannabis reform. His work has centered on raising awareness about cannabis’ therapeutic potential for managing pain, neurological conditions, and the lasting impact of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that affects many athletes, as well as being an advocate for ex-payers dealing with the effects of concussions and pain management.
Sheldon Baker discusses raising awareness about therapeutic potential of managing pain with cannabis and CBD with Marvin Washington
NS: The shift in the National Foodball League (NFL) substance abuse policy raising the THC testing threshold and reducing penalties is a significant step forward for the broader acceptance of cannabis in professional sports. How do you feel, from a health standpoint, this might affect the players?
Mr. Washington: A change came about six years ago, not only from me, but from former players like Kyle Turley, Ricky Williams and Eugene Monroe. We’ve been asking the NFL to at least bring the testing level up to the World Anti-doping Association (WADA) standards which has a high level. With the old program you could test positive simply from secondhand smoke. They (the NFL) didn’t want any cannabis in your body. But now it’s reasonable, less humiliating and not degrading, whether we’re doing it for adult use or to recover from playing. Nobody was just smoking cannabis to just be smoking. Everybody’s trying to feel better, and that’s what they’ve done now. You haven’t heard about anybody being suspended or fined for using cannabis and I feel that’s progress. But we still have a long way to go.
NS: But is the NFL still testing players for cannabis use?
Mr. Washington: They are. It’s once a year but nobody’s getting suspended now that they’ve come in with a reasonable testing level. Also, nobody’s getting fined and shamed in the media letting everybody know that they have tested positive for cannabis. Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and National Basketball Association are finally on board because it’s not a performance enhancing drug. Players want to relax, feel better, and recover. So why not let them medicate with cannabis instead of addictive drugs.
NS: You’ve recently taken on the role of representing Leafwell, in conjunction with the NFL players union. What will your primary responsibility be and what do you hope to accomplish?
Mr. Washington: The paramount is the main thing. We want to introduce what Leafwell is doing for all professional sports leagues and union organizations. There’s the players alumni which has more players, and the active players. Ultimately, the goal is to get these guys to medicate with cannabis.
If we can show proof of concept with the NFL Players Association which represents 20,000 players that can be our proof of concept. Just because guys are retired doesn’t mean their aches and pains stop. So, what I want to do is show them how we have doctors, insurance, and cannabis to help them, which is something that we’ve been hoping for since I got into cannabis more than 10 years ago. What Leafwell is doing is normalizing this plant and bringing it into the mainstream, whether it’s sports organizations, labor unions, school districts or municipalities. I’m happy to be a part of that because I’ve introduced Leafwell to people in my network outside of sports and that appears to be offering encouragement to push our plan forward. People inside the cannabis arena like this influence and that includes the Pot Brothers at Law®, who have over a million followers on Instagram and former talk show host Montel Williams, one of the early leading cannabis supporters.
NS: So, your goal to make cannabis a legitimate medical treatment?
Mr. Washington: Yes, because it is. I’ve said many times cannabis has always been medicine to me. I don’t know anybody who’s ingesting cannabis or getting high just to get high. Everybody’s got to feel good and I want to introduce it to my audience who primarily consist of athletes. Players are being poisoned with opioids and benzodiazepines that team doctors are issuing to them. As an example, take a guy like me who started taking anti-inflammatories every July (during training camp), and took pain pills to manage pain whenever it came through to the following February at season’s end. Now carry that over to an 11-plus year period which was my NFL career. A lot of players in a similar situation can’t turn off that spigot. I know guys who have been retired 10-to-30 years that are still taking opiates to manage their pain. I call that addiction. So, why not take something that’s non-toxic and non-addictive. It’s going to help their body and do something to mirror the same pain relief and recovery that opiates are doing, or whatever health issues they may be dealing with.
NS: Undoubtedly, when you were playing you had various football injuries. It would have made a difference if you had cannabis at your fingertips.
Mr. Washington: It would have made a huge difference in my recovery. It would have made a difference for me not to use Indomethacin and Naproxen, the two anti-inflammatories that I chewed on, I would have definitely used cannabis as an anti-inflammatory instead of what I was given. I believe it would have changed my recovery, and how I felt as an athlete.
NS: Are you getting support from the NFL Commissioner’s office?
Mr. Washington: I’m only going through my union, and the proper channels like the Players Association who is a partner with the NFL. I haven’t broached the cannabis subject directly with the NFL because they are not going to be a fast leader or even a leader on this matter, even though they’ve contributed money for cannabis research. I was a union member in good standing and played a long time. This is something that we need to have a conversation about because the path they’ve gone down hasn’t been productive. Everybody talks about the concussion lawsuit, but then the next lawsuit is going to come, then the class action lawsuit that’s going to come against the NFL and the NFL Players Association about the over-prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines. Those are the lawsuits I’m hearing about in my NFL circles from attorneys and former players.
NS: Can you envision the NFL one day making cannabis available to players as a healthy alternative to pharmaceuticals?
Mr. Washington: There’s always an if. But I think we’re at the point where it’s going to be when. I say that because of the money the NFL has targeted to both cannabis and CBD research for pain management. The union, through the education I’m going to bring to them, will push for it. It’s amazing all the calls the Players Union receives from wives and girlfriends of former players about their partner’s opiate addiction.
NS: I’ve seen a monetary figure of a million dollars, regarding the impact of cannabis and CBD management. Just how involved is the NFL in research?
Mr. Washington: They actually have given around $2 million, so it’s progress. They hadn’t contributed money previously, but the NFL makes $16 billion dollars a year so we’ll see how serious they are in the future. The NFL is the biggest sports league in the world, and if they do it, all the other professional leagues may fall into place. You also have to realize that the NFL consists of 32 different conservative owners who have to look out for the public, and don’t forget cannabis is not legal in every state. What the NFL could do and what I’ve been pushing for, and talked to them about, is do a TUE, a Therapeutic Use Exemption to consume cannabis.
NS: What role might team doctors play in administering cannabis and CBD?
Mr. Washington: Players could have a doctor to prescribe a certain strain to their indication. It’s not anecdotal anymore because legally we have the science, research and the data to back it up and show that when cannabis is introduced to a workforce and organization everything positive starts to happen. There’s less prescription of opioids and hard drugs. There’s also less emergency room and doctor visits. The best ability as a professional athlete is availability. So, why not give a player something they can recover with and be available to practice two or three times a week and play on Sunday. In other words, less absenteeism in the workplace.
NS: You mentioned Ricky Williams the former running back for the Miami Dolphins. He has said he played while he was under the influence, and maybe he played better.
Mr. Washington: Ricky has a social anxiety disorder and that was his way to relax and to seem normal and just play. He’s not the only guy like that. I know guys before they head to the stadium would have a set session with a few of their teammates to get ready for the game. When I first came into the league guys were taking uppers and amphetamines. Later on, guys were getting ready the way they got ready and I didn’t have any issue with it because no one was being hurt by that. I suppose, if anybody was going to get hurt, it was going to be Ricky. But it wasn’t a detriment to him as a performer or his performance.
NS: Are you currently using cannabis?
Mr. Washington: I’m a big CBD guy and plant-based medicine advocate. I microdose on mushrooms but a proponent of cannabis use, because I believe it’s medicine. I know the medicinal benefits of it and I have everybody around me using cannabis now that it’s legal in most locations. I’m excited that it’s here in the Atlantic states population centers where I live. It’s going to make a difference and I’m very respectful of that.
NS: Several years ago, you launched a line of CBD infused water. Is that still being distributed?
Mr. Washington: No. It became cost prohibitive. I learned a lesson with that venture. The whole thing back then was to show what could be delivered to the planet, whether it was water, a transdermal patch, tinctures or gummies. People’s perception was you had to smoke it, but we wanted to show society there’s so many different deliverables instead of just having the flower and smoking it.
NS: You’re a big man, six foot six, and your playing weight was 285 pounds. Where are you today?
Mr. Washington: I’m about 275 now. No reason to be heavier.
NS: How do you stay in shape?
Mr. Washington: I work out and take CBD daily, as well as supplements. I get up early and do my morning meditations and affirmations and then I’m at the gym when the door opens for my daily workout. That’s how I start my day.
NS: How about an approach to healthy eating? Does that enter into your lifestyle?
Mr. Washington: I’m a pescatarian because I need protein. Lots of salmon and tuna for heart health. When not eating fish it’s a plant-based diet. I haven’t had red meat in about six years. I credit John Salley, the ex-bad boy pro basketball player with the Detroit Pistons who’s a really good friend of mine. He’s very much into cannabis and a full-on vegetarian.
NS: When the diet goes out the window, what’s your go to food?
Mr. Washington: The diet doesn’t go out the window. I think the country overall is moving more towards natural products and plant-based meals, but also plant-based medicine. We can’t keep following the path of opiates and benzodiazepine because we’re going to lose a generation if we keep traveling down that road. I think younger people are not on the hard drugs like people of our generation. They’re more educated and can see the harm that can be done, and cannabis being medicine has no societal dangers.
NS: What are your thoughts about CTE, which is certainly a major issue pertaining to cognitive decline, mood changes, dementia and sleep, disturbances. Does cannabis play a helpful role?
Mr. Washington: Absolutely. The government has patent 660537 that says CBD acts as a neuroprotectant and an antioxidant towards the brain in relationship to concussions. I just wish it would be explored more. I’ve made an effort to tell the professional sports leagues about it.
One of the things about Leafwell is a player can come in and say they don’t want to take cannabis, rather CBD. If they talk to their doctor, he or she can get it prescribed and get educated on whether it’s an isolate, a full or broad spectrum. People don’t realize different types of CBD are available. Going to a gas station to purchase CBD is not the way to go. Get a specific strain, or whatever may be prescribed by a health professional. That’s progress right there. When I got here there were guys telling me their grocery or convenience store sells CBD. That’s not right. I would ask what type of CBD they were getting and they didn’t know. They were just taking it, but those days are over.
NS: In addition to being an ambassador with Leafwell what else are you doing to promote cannabis reform?
Mr. Washington: I never turn down an opportunity to speak about cannabis in public or private. Being in the sports industry I sometimes am preaching to the choir. I’m a cannabis advocate, entrepreneur, and activist. But there’s still a large swath of the country that don’t know the truth about cannabis. They’re still caught up in reefer madness and Cheech and Chong and that way of thinking. You just have to follow the science. I look forward to working with Leafwell and promoting cannabis and plant-based medicine.
NS: Do you envision that one day we will have complete cannabis approval and acceptance by our federal government leaders?
Mr. Washington: I think there’s progress. They had hearings late in 2024 and talk about the FDA and DOJ rescheduling cannabis. But it’s going to take responsible education showing the government the benefits of it. If the government can tax and regulate alcohol why can’t they do the same with cannabis earmarking billions of dollars to research? I say come and get behind this plant because we know about the main cannabinoids. Still, there’s so many cannabinoids we don’t know about. But if they reschedule it that’s going to generate plant research and development.
NS: Certainly, a lot of tax dollars that the government would want to get their hands on.
Mr. Washington: Yes. In addition to research, lots of tax dollars going towards schools, roads, bridges, and infrastructure of different municipalities.
NS: What do you feel was your greatest NFL achievement?
Mr. Washington: I went to the Super Bowl with Denver in 1998. I spent eight years with the New York Jets where we had numerous miserable losing seasons. So, I think I paid my penance in New York and then the football Gods blessed me and let me have the opportunity to play for the Denver Broncos. The ultimate for any athlete is to win a championship. I’m very proud of that.
NS: The Jets still haven’t changed.
Mr. Washington: Yes, but I still want tickets to go to the game, so I can’t really say that. They have a new head coach who’s an ex-teammate. Hopefully once you get the right hire you can turn things around. I think the Jets will be back to being competitive over the next few years. You can say Marvin Washington told you so.
NS: Is there something people would find surprising about you?
Mr. Washington: Maybe surprising that I’m an old movie buff. I like silent movies and those early films especially some of the comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. It’s pretty funny what they were doing and how they conveyed their feelings without sound. But you always got what they’re doing.
