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For years, professionals in sports treated cannabis as a taboo topic, often associating it with suspensions, fines, and controversy. But as the conversation around athlete wellness, recovery, and long-term health has evolved — so has the perception of cannabis, especially among former NFL players who experienced firsthand the physical toll of the game.
Today, many ex-NFL athletes are stepping into the cannabis industry, not just as consumers but as entrepreneurs, advocates, and business leaders. With careers built on discipline, resilience, and teamwork, these former pros are bringing that same commitment and vision to a rapidly growing industry.
In this blog, we’ll share the stories of these game-changers and explore why athletes are at the forefront of the cannabis movement.
For Calvin Johnson Jr., Rob Sims, and Gosder Cherilus, the transition from professional football to the cannabis industry was personal. After years in the NFL, their bodies bore the brunt of the game’s relentless physicality. The constant grind of training, competition, and injury recovery left them, like so many other athletes, reliant on traditional pharmaceuticals. But the long-term effects of opioids and prescription medications raised serious concerns.
“While we were advocates of the plant’s medicinal properties as players, the league enforced rules and regulations that we had to follow,” said Johnson. “Now, as entrepreneurs, we have the ability to use our business as a platform to support this passion of ours. Not only are we in the business of cannabis, we see it for what it is, which is medicine, and a natural way of healing other than what was proposed to us during our playing days.”
Johnson, Sims, and Cherilus saw firsthand how conventional pain management methods fell short. They knew there had to be a better way. That search led them to cannabis, a plant that had long been misunderstood in professional sports but had undeniable potential for recovery, pain relief, and overall wellness.
Recognizing the lack of education and accessibility around cannabis, especially for athletes, they launched Primitiv. It’s a mission-driven CBD company and dispensary group designed to bridge the gap between sports, science, and holistic wellness.
Few athletes have been as publicly scrutinized for cannabis use as Ricky Williams. He was once considered an outcast in the NFL for choosing plant medicine over prescription painkillers. Williams endured suspensions, criticism, and even temporary retirement, all because of his advocacy for cannabis. But today, he stands as a pioneering figure in the industry, proving that what once made him controversial has now made him a leader.
Williams founded Highsman, a cannabis brand designed to support performance, recovery, and mental well-being. The brand’s name is a clever play on the Heisman Trophy, which Williams won in 1998. The brand symbolizes the intersection of sports and cannabis, a relationship he has spent decades working to normalize.
Known for his unapologetic personality, powerhouse plays, and legendary “Beast Mode” mentality, Marshawn Lynch has always done things his way. His transition into the cannabis industry is no different. With the launch of Dodi Blunts, Lynch brings his authenticity, passion, and commitment to community empowerment into the cannabis space, proving that success in the industry is about both legacy and impact.
Lynch has always been about keeping it real, and that extends to his brand. Dodi Blunts is a reflection of his personal passion for the plant and the culture surrounding it. Beyond great products, Lynch is focused on creating economic opportunities for his hometown of Oakland, CA and other underserved communities. By investing in Black and Brown cannabis entrepreneurs, he’s using his platform to level the playing field in an industry that has historically excluded many from these backgrounds.
While many former NFL players have embraced cannabis after retirement, Eugene Monroe made history as the first active NFL player to openly support cannabis after his own adverse experience with opioids. At a time when the league still had a strict stance against it, Monroe took a bold stand. He advocated for the rights of players to use cannabis for pain management and challenged the NFL’s reliance on opioids and prescription drugs.
Monroe’s advocacy didn’t stop when he left the NFL. Instead, he doubled down, investing in cannabis research, supporting policy reform, and fighting to change the way professional sports handle pain management. His work focuses on funding cannabis research, pushing for policy reform, and supporting social equity programs. By combining entrepreneurship, advocacy, and scientific research, he’s proving that cannabis is a movement that could change professional sports forever.
Two-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Famer Terrell Davis built his career on grit, endurance, and peak performance. But like many elite athletes, the wear and tear of the game took a lasting toll on his body. After battling chronic pain and inflammation for years, Davis found relief in cannabis, specifically CBD. This relief came without the debilitating side effects of pharmaceuticals. Now, he’s on a mission to bring cannabis-based recovery solutions to athletes and active individuals everywhere.
Davis co-founded DEFY, a CBD-infused sports performance brand designed to help athletes recover, recharge, and reach new levels of endurance. His own experience with CBD as a post-career recovery tool and the need for natural alternatives to traditional painkillers inspired the brand. Though DEFY is no longer available, his work continues to pave the way for a future where plant-based wellness is a mainstream part of athletic performance.
Super Bowl champion Marvin Washington made a name for himself as a dominant defensive end in the NFL, but his impact off the field has been just as powerful. As a longtime cannabis advocate, entrepreneur, and social justice leader, Washington has been at the forefront of the fight to bring cannabis into the world of professional sports. But, he isn’t only making waves in the athletic world. His work aims to create opportunities for those affected by prohibition.
Washington has been one of the most outspoken advocates for cannabis reform in the NFL. His work focuses on working to educate players, policymakers, and the public on its potential as a safer alternative to opioids. He has led the push for the NFL to allow cannabis as a treatment and worked with organizations studying the effects of cannabis on CTE and concussions. He’s also advocated for removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act.
His own line of CBD products called Iso-Sport provides natural pain management alternatives for former athletes and chronic pain sufferers. Most recently, he signed on to be an advisor at Leafwell. Washington is dedicated to fighting for a future where cannabis is accessible, accepted, and used to improve lives.
People now recognize cannabis, which once carried a stigma, as a game-changer for performance, pain management, and overall health. With more players advocating for education, policy reform, and premium cannabis products, the industry is evolving, and athletes are leading the way.
At Primitiv, we are proud to be part of this movement. Our dispensary in Boston, MA offers high-quality, rigorously tested cannabis products designed with wellness, recovery, and performance in mind. What’s more, Primitiv Performance CBD also brings the benefits of plant-based recovery to you, no matter where you are. Check out Primitiv to see how peak performance and plant-based wellness go hand in hand.
The contents of this blog are intended for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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