A defensive tackle with the Dallas Cowboy gives up the game over hypocrisy
David Irving was a member of the Dallas Cowboys defensive squad until yesterday. The defensive tackle has decided to call it quits on the game he spent a lifetime perfecting, indicating in an Instagram post that it was time to move on. One of the biggest reasons for his decision to retire came from his desire to participate in an activity the NFL frowns upon – Irving wants to consume marijuana.
In a video he posted on Instagram, Irving states (apparently while consuming marijuana), “Basically guys, I quit. I’m out of there. It’s a lot of reasons why I’ve come to this decision.”
He adds, referencing his marijuana cigarette, “How many NBA players you see getting in trouble about this? Not many. I appreciate my true fans who appreciated me for who I am, not for the whole football stuff because football does not define me.”
Last year, Irving didn’t spend much time on the field, only logging two games with 56 snaps and one sack. He was suspended last week after he was found to have violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy for consuming marijuana, a suspension that follows two – in 2017 and 2018 – for the same reason.
Irving criticized the league’s policy on marijuana during the video, rightfully pointing out that marijuana is safer than other painkillers. While the league prohibits the natural healing power of marijuana, it allows lab-constructed opioids, which are extremely addictive and, in many cases, deadly.
The Cowboys already stated that they wouldn’t resign Irving next season, so the resignation seemed like a logical move. The player compares his position on marijuana to the stance Colin Kaepernick took with his national anthem protest and states, “I don’t think I’m a bad guy for choosing this route. I stand up for what I believe in. It is bulls—. I’ll ‘Kaepernick’ myself before they ‘Kaepernick’ my ass.”
