Former NFL star Ricky Williams believes the NFL is moving in the right direction with its more progressive approach to cannabis in recent years. However, in a recent interview he said he doesn’t think the league is going far enough.

Williams told TMZ Sports that the NFL should take it a step further by permitting teams to use marijuana as a post-game treatment.

“I think the next step, though, is at the end of a game, if we’re on the plane ride home, the trainer is walking down the aisle and has two capsule cases — one of Ambien, and the other one of Vicodin,” Williams said. “And he’s walking down the aisle and saying, ‘Do you need any of this, do you need any of this?'”

“And the truth is, for football players, we do need something because it hurts, and you’re all revved up and it’s hard to calm down and go to sleep. And I’d love to see cannabis as being one of those things that the trainer is walking down the aisle and offering to those players.”

The NFL seems far short of offering cannabis to players on post-game flights. However, it announced in 2022 that it is researching the potential of using cannabis for pain management.

Williams Had Issues With NFL Policy During His Playing Days

Williams became a star player during his time in the NFL. He started his career in 1999 with the New Orleans Saints. In 2002, he joined the Miami Dolphins, where he played until 2010. He played one season with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring.

Williams faced five suspensions and a significant career setback due to violations of the league’s substance abuse policy when he played, all over cannabis use that is now legal in large parts of the country. He said he believes society is currently undergoing a substantial shift in its acceptance of the advantages offered by cannabis and psychedelics. He looks forward to the possibility of the NFL embracing this transformation.

Williams Is a Long-Time Cannabis Advocate

In a way, Williams’ experience with marijuana personifies the changing attitudes on cannabis. Two decades ago, while a star in the NFL, he became the target of many jokes. That’s because Williams wasn’t afraid to talk openly about his use of marijuana.

He became “America’s most infamous stoner athlete,” according to Sports Illustrated. He failed four drug tests, all for cannabis use, he told Sports Illustrated. In 2004, he retired after testing positive and spent the year studying holistic medicine at the California College of Ayurveda.

He returned to the Dolphins in 2005. However, in 2006, he missed an entire season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Now, he has his own cannabis brand called “Highsman.” Williams won the 1998 Heisman Trophy as a player at the University of Texas. He told TMZ, “We have an authentic message, and people are growing some really amazing flower that can really help people feel better. If we can be a person that can make that connection on the cannabis side, that feels great to us.”Williams also recently legally changed his name to Errick Miron, according to TMZ Sports.