It has been a widely known secret that there are a good number of players in the National Football League that smoke weed. But when it comes to doubling down and putting your own money into a cannabis venture, that is a whole other ballgame. In this piece, we will look at some NFL players that entered the cannabis game to make a buck. We are not talking about vaping juice that companies like smokingthings sells, but the THC variety.
Tiki Barber was a running back for the New York Giants and spent a good number of years as its featured tailback. He retired in 2007 and went into some on camera endeavors like being a co-anchor on the TV show Today. In 2018 however, he co founded with some partners an investment firm called Grove Group Management in Vancouver British Columbia. This company will focus on investing in North American Cannabis Startups and the impetus of the business is to help many athletes that suffer from traumatic head injuries incurred during the playing of their sport.
Eugene Monroe was the first active NFL player to share publicly that he consumes marijuana. His active status did not last too long because the team that had him under contract, the Baltimore Ravens subsequently terminated his contract due to this act but that has not silenced that man. As a player who fully knows the pain the body goes through due to the rigors of the NFL, he has spoken out as an advocate for the NFL to accept cannabinoids as a viable option for pain management. He has also joined Green Thumb Industries a company that consults on working with diverse communities and research in the medical marijuana cultivation arena.
Joe Montana is definitely a legend in the NFL. A hall of famer for sure, he played a bulk of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and then later finished out his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. His first foray into investing in the space was in 2017 with a company named Herb. He invested $4.1 million into the company that is focused on marijuana news and entertainment information. His most recent investment was in Caliva. His capital investment arm invested $75 million into the company which is a vertically integrated cannabis company. Caliva is based in San Jose, CA and produces top shelf cannabis flower and oils, creates ancillary products for the marijuana space and operates a dispensary.
Ricky Williams was best known for being a top pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1999 after a illustrious career at the University of Texas at Austin. He was subsequently forced to retire from football because he tested positive for marijuana in 2004. He tried to return to the NFL in 2005, but again failed a drug test and was forced to say good bye to the game for good in 2011. He didn’t stay away from marijuana after his retirement. He founded Real Wellness in 2018 and sells marijuana under this company. He has a line of 4 products: Serenity, Optimize, Maintenance & Repair, and Rickys Choice.