News flash: NFL players get stoned.

We know, it's a shocker, but despite a substance abuse policy that bans marijuana entirely, drug tests players at least once a year, and doles out suspensions for repeat offenders, a vast majority of gridiron athletes are still smoking copious amounts of ganja.

Over the past few years, a number of former NFL players have come forward to discuss how they've benefited from medical marijuana, how using CBD has alleviated injuries, and how the plant has even helped pros overcome opioid addiction.

This week, recently retired NFL veteran Martellus Bennett joined the ranks of athletic advocates after appearing on the Bleacher Report's Simms and Lefkoe podcast, where the former New England Patriots player spoke candidly about the league's cannabis culture.

When asked if more or less than 70% of the league consumes marijuana, Bennett quickly upped the ante.

"I want to say about 89%," Bennett offered, adding a sarcastic exclamation to drive home just how rare it is to find players who don't get high: "You don't smoke, bro?!"

Outside of players getting stoned for recreational purposes though, Bennett quickly turned to the subject of medical marijuana, extolling the controversial plant's virtues as a replacement for dangerous prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

"There's medical marijuana," Bennett said. "So it's like, there's times of the year where your body just hurts so bad, that you don't want to just be popping pills all the time.. It ruins your liver. There's a lot of these anti-inflammatories that you take for so long that like, it starts to eat at your liver or kidneys and things like that. And a human made that. God made weed."

While other outspoken ballers who use cannabis have tried their best to lobby commissioner Roger Goodell to remove pot from the league's banned substance list and incorporate medical marijuana into NFL-approved medical treatment regiments, pro football's powers that be have so far stalled on enacting any cannabis reform.

With the 2019 NFL season quickly approaching, it does not appear that Goodell will change his tune on weed in the league before kick-off. But if you listen to Bennett, that isn't stopping your favorite quarterbacks and tight ends from lighting up after practice.

(h/t The Washington Post)

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