Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie backpedaled faster than he ever has on the field after his comments about marijuana use by NFL players hit the web on Wednesday. And for good reason.
By saying regarding marijuana use, “We’re just going to do it anyway,” Cromartie may have bought himself an effort by the NFL to place him in Stage One of the substance-abuse program.
While a positive test typically provides the pathway to enhanced testing and, ultimately, fines and suspensions, behavior can land a guy in the program. Several years ago, after former NFL receiver Randy Moss told Bryant Gumbel that Moss smokes marijuana “every blue moon,” Moss had to fend off an effort to put him in the substance-abuse program.
So that’s why Cromartie quickly said “we” doesn’t include “me,” and why he followed it up with a proclamation that he never smokes marijuana.
Of course, if he doesn’t smoke marijuana, he won’t have to worry about the extra, random testing that comes from being in the program. But it’s still an unwelcome burden, including a constant obligation to be available at a moment’s notice to drop trou and have someone else watch a cup get filled by something other than a bottle, pitcher, or carafe.