5 NFL players who were suspended for smoking Marijuana ft. Josh Gordon

The NFL officially changed its policy on marijuana use during the 2021 offseason. The changes were made as part of the new CBA agreement by the league's front office as well as the NFLPA union. Players will now only be drug tested for marijuana once per year at the beginning of training camp. If they fail, they will only be fined rather than suspended.

The news of the policy change was a welcome announcement for many players around the league. It's reportedly something the union has been fighting for a while as many players believe in the benefits of marijuana treatment.

However, many NFL players probably wish this policy would have changed earlier. A number of players have already been suspended at some point during their careers for smoking marijuana. Here are five of them.

#1 - Randy Gregory

Randy Gregory has spent his entire career so far with the Dallas Cowboys, where he has recorded 16.5 sacks across five seasons with the franchise. He will enter the 2022 NFL season as a member of the Denver Broncos after switching teams during the 2022 free agency period.

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Gregory received several suspensions for failed drug tests during his time with the Cowboys. He appeared in just two games during the 2016 NFL season and was also suspended for the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons. All of the violations were due to failed marijuana tests.

#2 - Darren Waller

Darren Waller is a success story for the way he overcame addiction. He has been open about his long battle, which started when he was young and affected the early part of his NFL career.

While with the Baltimore Ravens, Waller was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season as well as the entire 2017 season. His failed drug tests included marijuana, among other things. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2018 and claims to have been completely sober ever since.

#3 - Ricky Williams

Ricky Williams spent three seasons with the New Orleans Saints after being chosen as the fifth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. He then spent the bulk of his career with the Miami Dolphins before finishing with the Baltimore Ravens for a year. He rushed for more than 10,000 career yards.

Williams was also notorious for his marijuana use during his playing career. He failed three drug tests prior to the 2004 season and was suspended for a year but decided to retire from football. He took a year off to study holistic medicine before returning the following year. A year later, he was again suspended for a full season for yet another failed drug test due to marijuana use.

#4 - Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon has a long list of suspensions due to marijuana use during his football career, starting with his first while attending Baylor. It continued into his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.

Gordon received suspensions during his time with every team he has played for, with the exception of his current team, the Kansas City Chiefs. He has been suspended a total of seven times (eight if including college) for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Of these seven times, six were for marijuana and one was for alcohol.

#5 - Martavis Bryant

Pittsburgh Steelers WR, Martavis Bryant.

Martavis Bryant spent the first four years of his career with the Steelers after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season due to a failed drug test. He was then suspended for the entire 2016 season for again testing positive for marijuana.

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Bryant was reinstated for the 2017 season before being traded to the Oakland Raiders the following offseason. He was released from the team after failing another marijuana test and was facing another year-long suspension.