As the country has loosened its regulations for marijuana use, so, too, has the National Football League.
The NFL’s marijuana policy was adjusted in 2021 that nixed suspensions for a positive test – it also changed the amount of testing that occurred to just once a year during a two-week window at the start of training camp.
Because players now know the timing of the test, it’s a breeze to not even get in trouble, says Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“If you just stop in the middle of July, you’re fine,” he told Vanity Fair. “A lot of guys stop a week before, and they still pass because everybody’s working out in the heat and sweating their tail off. Nobody’s really getting hit for it anymore.”
With the policy change in the league, and the higher legal availability throughout the country, Kelce estimates that anywhere from 50% to 80% of NFL players smoke weed.
Kelce was hit hard with a marijuana punishment while in college. He served a one-year suspension at the University of Cincinnati after he tested positive on a random test the day before playing in the 2010 Sugar Bowl.
Travis Kelce is shown onstage during the Kelce Jam at Azura Amphitheatre on April 28, 2023, in Bonner Springs, Kansas. (Barry Brecheisen/Getty Images)
ODELL BECKHAM JR EXPLAINS WHY HE’S NOT AT RAVENS’ OTAS: ‘IT’S ABOUT PEAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME’
“I was down in New Orleans, listening to Lil Wayne, and I wanted to smoke what he was smoking,” he said. “I’m just sitting there, dead in the water. I just wanted to get out of there. I was so embarrassed, I didn’t want to look at anybody.”
Kelce has since become one of the greatest tight ends of all time, so it’s easy to sit back and laugh at the incident now, which he did when he hosted “Saturday Night Live.”
“Just goes to show you if you’re bad at school and smoke weed, you can win the Super Bowl twice,” Kelce said during his hosting gig less than a month after winning his second ring.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was the first athlete to host SNL since J.J. Watt did in 2020.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs raises the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 2, 2020, in Miami. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He just wrapped up his seventh consecutive season of at least 1,000 receiving yards – his 110 catches and 12 touchdowns were both career highs. Kelce’s 1,338 receiving yards were the second-most he’s had in a season. He’s also been named an All-Pro in each of the last seven seasons.
