8. Pot in the NFL
The backseat of squad cars was a popular place for NFL players again this year with no shortage of drug arrests. While the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks play in states where it is legal to smoke pot, NFL players still can’t stay out of trouble with weed.
Almost 40 players were busted for drugs and DUI this year, beginning on Jan. 1 when Vikings LB Erin Hernderson crashed his car. Cleveland Browns WR Josh Gordon, a repeat offender, was suspended 10 games for smoking pot and spent his time away from football selling cars. Arizona LB Daryl Washington, also a repeat offender, was banned for the entire season and admitted that he, too, smoked weed. In August, Pittsburgh Steelers running backs Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were pinched because Bell’s car was particularly pungent during a traffic stop. Bell, who was a beast on the field in 2014, is due in court in February and while he can possibly have the charges dismissed, he could still face a suspension from the NFL next season. Blount was later released by the Steelers for a separate incident in which he walked off the field in the middle of a game. It is estimated that up to 80 percent of NFL players smoke pot for either recreational or medicinal purposes and with legalization and decriminalization spreading across the country, the idea of amending the league’s strict drug policy came to the forefront in 2014.
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