Champ Bailey Discusses How Cannabis Helped Him During His Hall of Fame NFL Career

Over the course of his legendary NFL career, Champ Bailey had a habit of driving quarterbacks mad. The sticky, ball-hawking cornerback picked off 52 passes and deflected 203 on his way to 12 Pro Bowl nods and a spot in the Hall of Fame. Watching him on Sundays, it was plain to see that Bailey was one of the best to ever do it. What fans didn’t know, though, was that Bailey was putting up those types of numbers while also being an avid cannabis user.

No, he was not high during the games. But as Bailey’s career unfolded, during a time when cannabis was still illegal (even in Denver, where Bailey played for 10 seasons), he began to understand how a couple tokes here and there could ease the pain of a grueling practice or difficult workout. Letting the body rest after the three-hour pain and adrenaline fest of an NFL game is one of the biggest obstacles to recovery for football players, who have attested to a league culture in which trainers’ first choice are prescription pharmaceuticals. Now that he’s no longer subjected to NFL drug tests, Bailey, who serves as chief diversity officer on the leadership team at Trulieve, the world’s largest cannabis retailer, is loud and proud about his relationship with mary jane, hoping that it can open the door for other people to responsibly reap its benefits.

“I'm just here to be a voice…and hopefully push people in the right direction to be more accepting of this form of healing,” Bailey told GQ over Zoom. We discussed destigmatization, his preferred methods of consumption, and more.

Champ Bailey: Let's just go back to the beginning. I never used it in high school, I never used it in college, and then I didn't use it until I got to the league, but it was after my first year. I grew up in the South, so there was always this stigma around what it meant to use cannabis. So, I stayed away from it because I had bigger dreams, bigger goals. But as I got older, and mainly when I got to the league, I started understanding really what you could use it for. I saw some guys use it after games, during the week. It was older players that were doing it. I never frowned upon it, but it was just not something I did myself. But as I got to know more and I watched them function with it, [I heard] them speak about the benefits it brought to them.

I just was like, okay, I'm not a big drinker. I don't want to take a lot of pills. Cannabis fit my lifestyle because it was more laid-back, like my personality. So I took hold of it.

But what I realized is, it was so good after games, it was so good after practice. I'm like, man, this is what I need to calm my mind and my body. There were still reasons for me to quit based off rules and regulations of the league. But since then, those rules have been eased a lot as the league kind of turns the corner. Now I use it more when I work out—before or after—because I try to stay active. It's been a benefit to my life, and obviously to my career.

Well, you know, early 2000s, there were no edibles around! I mean, maybe they were, but I didn't see it. I was smoking for the most part. You still had to get it in a way that...really wasn't legal at the time. For anybody that was using it, you had to kind of do it undercover. But fortunately for me, I was in an environment where it was easier to get my hands on it and use it.

Oh, no. This was in Washington [DC, where Bailey played from 1999 to 2003]. What I mean is, there were people around me that had it or could get it, so that's what made it easier. There was always a pipeline in some way, and I knew exactly where to get it.

Bailey made four straight Pro Bowls during his time with Washington Ezra Shaw

Mostly football, but of course everything goes back to football, even the legal side.

I think the league finally came around and said it's basically a waste of money and resources to penalize guys for something that's actually helping them. I think the [drug-testing] threshold is a lot lower (or higher). I almost feel like you have to be puffing on it on your way in the door in order to test positive, according to my sources. That's what they say.

Oh yeah. I mean, it's widely used. I'm just glad we’re finally getting to that point where people are not looking at it in a negative fashion. Let's pull the positivity out of it.

Well, practice and games were tough, and a grind physically. It would make me feel better to get through that, or to recover from a hard day on a Wednesday when it's the toughest day of the week. I remember I hurt my ankle my third year, and I got prescription medicine. I'm taking it, but I would always remember how it felt when I would smoke. I'm like, This is what I really need to calm me down. A lot of times when you’re injured, it's more your mindset that determines how you tolerate that pain. I found myself kind of gradually getting off the pills, which I think is a good thing.

I wasn't so, I guess, inclined to go grab that bottle, which I think in hindsight was a benefit to me. It kept me from going down that road of potential addiction or whatever. Cannabis really just did it for me. And I can't say that for everybody, but for me, that's really what got me through those moments of injury, especially in the middle of my career when I started getting hamstrings. I knew exactly what I needed to do: just calm my mind and get through it. That's what I did!

There's several little stories, but there's one that sticks out. One of my teammates, he loved to drink. He was dealing with pain as much as I was, or more, because he was in the trenches. I just never forget. I recommended, "Hey man, you need to try something else in your downtime." Drinking kept getting him in trouble. That was almost 20 years ago. Fast-forward to now, that's his [go-to] choice: to maybe grab a joint or take an edible to calm his body. Now he's post-career, it's like, dang, man! That was the best decision he ever made, making cannabis a choice over drinking. Now, I don't think he had any issues with pills, but I know he was taking a lot just to get through practice.

It happens more than you think, but a lot of guys still won't come forward and talk about those things. It actually took me a while to get to that point. But I'm encouraging everybody to tell your story because we need more guys, and women, to understand that there is a better way to deal with those illnesses, physical or mental. It's helped me, it helped my boy that was dealing with what he's dealing with, and post-career, what he's dealing with now. I mean, it's been great for him.

Balling! 10,000 yard rusher! That kind of baller. You know how consistent you have to be to rush for 10,000 yards? This is a dude that played at the highest level, and all he wanted to do was smoke his cannabis and go to work. Now he's probably the face of what it looks like to achieve at a high level, or set your goals and reach them, but still have this [drug] that he was using as a means to calm his mind and his body. I mean, he's the perfect example.

Yeah, man. Look, those old-school methods need to die. But it is what it is. We got some progress to make and I think we've made some. But it takes a lot of us, people like myself, to tell these stories.

No, no, no. I'm a joint guy. Keep it simple. Like I said, I've tried it all different ways, but for me it was always about what worked for me. It was more like an experience to smoke and sit back, relax, the calming effect of it. That's what I do. But I've seen people...some people can't smoke! I know a few guys that can't smoke, so all they do is take edibles. It's one of those things, man, that's the beauty of it. There's so many ways to get it in your system nowadays. You don't have to be a smoker, but that's just my choice.

Bailey in a 2007 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Allen Kee/Getty Images

Yes, we have two in the house. So there's always that, right? But again, if there's a bottle of alcohol on my shelf and a joint, which one you think he's going to pick up? Socially, the alcohol is more acceptable. My teenage son, that's what I worry about more than anything. You do it responsibly. My kids know it's my medicine. I don't put it in their face, but I also don't shy away from the idea that I'm doing it. I don't want them to learn about it outside in a negative fashion.

Absolutely. I think when you partake in something like that and you see the benefits for yourself, yes, you would love to see it legalized. But nobody had the guts to really go that route or start being outspoken about it. For one, you’d get in trouble. And I was always a rule follower. But, in the back of my mind, yes, it should have always been legal. But I'm not a politician either. I'll let that kind of work itself out. All I'm here to do is just really tell my story to help destigmatize it and get us in a light where people can accept it. It's just trying to get to the point where we can have open conversations.

I don’t think that’s an issue. Everybody do it responsibly in their own space. You can't smoke cigarettes in most establishments now, so I don't expect you to be smoking a joint in most establishments. But I think if you can responsibly smoke outside, why shouldn't you be able to? There's a time and place for it. I just hope everybody do it responsibly, in their own manner, and respect those around them. Be responsible, especially for kids, because of course we don't want them to gravitate to it in a negative way when it's too early. They're still developing their minds and bodies. We got to be conscious of that.

What in the world?

That needs to be more mainstream to me. What is that?

You can't consume too much water either. There's a lot of push and pull here, but for me it always goes back to consulting with your doctor. What does your doctor recommend? Make sure they know your dosage. This is not something you want to just go do on your own. Yes, that was my entry, but I would recommend anybody starting out to consult with a doctor first and go from there. That's the way to do it. Most states are legal medically, so if you feel like you need it, consult your doctor, get your medical card.

Yes!

I have not, but we have discussed it because he's a friend. Great dude. I mean, he's very passionate about it. I've been open-minded. I don't feel like I know everything, so I'm always looking to learn more about things that guys consume, especially my former teammates. I've definitely had an ear to it. He's way down the road of the mushrooms. So, I know his experience is going to be unique. I'm always leaning on him to educate me. I'm just not as passionate as he is about it. When he's passionate about something, you know it. And I love that about him.