Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie made some headlines on Wednesday by saying that the NFL should take marijuana off the list of banned substances because players are just going to do it anyway.
Cromartie has some company in that opinion. Steeler safety Ryan Clark said on ESPN Thursday that he knows teammates who smoke pot and that those players think it helps them relieve pain and stress. Clark added that those players know how to work around the league’s testing to avoid failing a test.
“It’s 100 percent true. They’re fighting a losing battle. The testing isn’t stringent,” Clark said. “There is one random test during OTAs and minicamps during the offseason, and everybody will be tested early in training camp. After that, there are no more tests. So guys understand the ways to get around failing a drug test.”
Clark also joined Cromartie by taking to Twitter to offer an addendum that he doesn’t smoke marijuana himself after advocating its removal from the list of banned substances. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that the league would continue to look at evidence of marijuana’s medicinal benefits, but said the league isn’t actively considering a change to the drug policy right now.