| Dwayne Bowe. |
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is the latest NFL player to be involved in a marijuana-related incident after being arrested for speeding and possession of pot early Sunday morning in Riverside, Missouri.
According to cops, Bowe was pulled over in his A8 Audio for doing 48 mph in a 35 mph zone and when the cop walked up to the car he says he smelled a “strong odor of marijuana”. The cops then called in a local K-9 dog that sniffed out about 10 grams of herb in Bowe’s car and another seven grams or so on a passenger in the car, George Thompson.
Bowe posted a $750 bond and was released.
The Chiefs have said they are aware of the incident, but wouldn’t comment further. Likely, Bowe will face stiff penalties from the NFL regardless of whether or not he is found guilty of the crimes.
At least, that is the precedent set by NFL commissioner Roger Goodel, who has taken a decidedly tough stance on marijuana. Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller was suspended for six games earlier this season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy after failing a drug test and getting caught after having someone else try and pass the test for him – all despite new laws on Colorado legalizing cannabis for adults.
Colorado’s law changes didn’t and won’t be affecting the NFL’s policy any time soon.
“The NFL’s policy is collectively bargained and will continue to apply in the same manner it has for decades,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said last year. “Marijuana remains prohibited under the NFL substance abuse program.”
The anti-pot stance is one that has gained some attention lately, if only due to the Marijuana Policy Project’s headline-grabbing stunt of erecting a pro-pot billboard near Denver’s Mile High Stadium (we still refuse to officially call is Invesco Field) earlier this season.
“NFL players are being told that they can go out and get completely drunk, but face no punishment from the league,” Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project said at the time. “But if a player gets caught using marijuana, they could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars, forced to sit out games and deemed a troublemaker.”
Bowe has had previous suspensions for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. No word on if that will play into the league’s and team’s future decisions.