The former Chicago Bears QB understands the role of cannabis in pain recovery
Former Super Bowl champion and Chicago Bears quarterback, Jim McMahon, said for the first time in 2016 that an unfairly demonized substance helped him recover from the pain of his NFL career. Medical marijuana made it possible for this athlete to carry everything that a career like football brings. Now, seven years after those revelations, McMahon will be in charge of organizing a cannabis-friendly celebrity golf tournament.
The two-time Super Bowl champion knows that marijuana can bring big celebrities together these days. Mixing it with a laid-back sport like golf, athletes like Johnny Damon, Jeremy Roenick, and Rollie Fingers will be among those gathered to battle it out at the Gridiron Greats Celebrity Golf Classic hosted by McMahon.
The tournament will be endorsed by cannabis brand Revenant, and according to recent reports, will take place at Anthem Golf and Country Club in Arizona next month. According to the event’s website, the main goal of the tournament is to become the NFL’s first marijuana-related charity event.
In a statement, McMahon said, “Our goal is to utilize our platform to send a strong message to the NFL, and other sports organizations that fail to recognize cannabis for medicinal purposes, and the benefits it may provide their athletes.” It was made clear that the proceeds will go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non-profit organization that “helps retired NFL players and their families in dire need.”
Now 63, McMahon is plagued by health problems after a 15-year career in the NFL, where multiple concussions existed. He has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and has severe headaches, depression, memory loss, and vision and speech problems. He also said he suffered from a broken neck.
He claims the key to lowering the consumption of prescription narcotic painkillers he took during his career was medical marijuana. McMahon got his medical marijuana card in Arizona, where he lives, after it was approved in 2010. Before that, he said, he was taking about 100 pills a month for pain in his shoulders, neck, and arms. “They were doing me more harm than good,” he said. “This medical marijuana has been a godsend as it relieves me of pain.”