ESPN Radio “Mike & Mike” co-host Mike Golic reacted strongly Thursday to free agent running back DeAngelo Williams calling the NFL’s drug policies “outdated” and saying the league does not do enough to support players who are punished for a substance abuse violation.
Golic, a former NFL player himself, took Williams to task over his comments, saying he is “getting tired” of players not “accepting responsibility” for their actions.
“[W]hat I’m getting a little tired of is the lack of accepting responsibility for what you are doing,” Golic said.
He explained, “Players like to smoke. They do. Now, if we are finding out that the oils are good for pain and that all works out to where we can use that instead of opioids I am absolutely, positively all for that. But it also is giving [sic] a lot of players saying, ‘Yeah, that’s why I smoke. I smoke so I’m not in pain.’ Bull. you like to smoke. Do I think at the end of the day marijuana’s gonna be legalized everywhere? Yes, I do. And I’m fine with that. I’ll be fine with it if they don’t test for it anymore, I’ll be fine with it when they legalize it everywhere, but right now it’s against the rules. And DeAngelo talking about you’re pushing the guys back out to where they got it — do you realize for recreational drugs you have to have multiple offenses before you are suspended?”
“Accept the responsibility,” Golic continued. “You are not allowed to smoke marijuana in the NFL. Some day maybe you will. You’re the one ingesting it and breaking the rule multiple times before you get suspended. So, to sit there and worry about that part of it and think, ‘Oh my god he now can’t be around the guys can do nothing but hang out with druggies.’ Let’s first get to the real issue. That, to me, is like watching a movie and doing something illegal and blaming the movie. Look in the mirror. That’s where this needs to start.”
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