FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2015, file photo, former Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer smiles on the sidelines during an NFL football game between the Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver. If a compound found in hemp _ and its notorious cousin, cannabis _ proves as effective in treating brain injuries as testimonials claim, it would also be welcome news for the NFL on concussions, and even better for players. Along with a handful of other retired players, Plummer felt strongly enough about the benefits to appear in a public-service campaign titled When the Bright Lights Fade. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
Before he suited up to play against the New York Giants in 2012, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Eben Britton took an ice bath followed by a hot shower. He did his routine stretches. Then he smoked a joint.
In fact, Britton — who also played for the Chicago Bears but left the league in 2014 — tells The Post he played three NFL games while high on marijuana.
“NFL games I played stoned were some of the best games I ever played. Cannabis cements your surroundings,” he says. “A lot of people say they’re useless when they smoke weed. But hell, I played NFL games [while stoned], dude. My performances were solid and I felt really good after.”
Which was the point, since the Brooklyn-born Britton was smoking to relieve, at various times, “psychological distress or sciatica or pain in my shoulders.”
And he was far from alone.
Asked how many NFL players currently smoke pot, Britton estimates “it’s over 50 percent and it could be as high as 75 percent.” A sports agent who asked to remain anonymous says, “The number is rumored to be as high as 80 percent.”
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