The Patriots had a near disaster on their hands last weekend, when star defensive end Chandler Jones had a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana and wound up shirtless in a police station seeking help. While it's easy to point and laugh and admonish him for silly behavior, Jones isn't alone, and synthetic pot could be football's next epidemic.
"Honestly, it appeared as if he was actively praying or worshipping," an officer named David J. Foscaldo wrote in a report per ESPN. "At times, this man would return to an upright position, this same movement/motion was repeated at least twice."
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While that sounds weird, Foscaldo was clear that Jones didn't present a danger to anyone, nor had he broken any laws. The same couldn't be said for Ole Miss stars - and brothers - Robert and Denzel Nkemdiche.
Robert Nkemdiche, at one point a contender to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, jeopardized his career by falling 15 feet out of a window while high on synthetic pot.
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Denzel Nkemdiche was not immune either. He was hospitalized and missed the final two games of the year for Ole Miss after using the substance and being found "near the edge of the roof of his townhome," wrapped in a blanket, fearing people were after him.
Three prominent football players within a span of a few months have been involved in highly publicized incidents that brought police and hospitals into the fray. In 2014, former Jets tight end Kellen Winslow was caught in an embarrassing situation in which he was seen masturbating in his car in the parking lot of a Target before being arrested for possessing synthetic weed, per NJ.com.
On top of that, three members of the 2011 LSU Tigers - Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware and Tharold Simon, all current NFL players - were suspended for using synthetic marijuana, and 12 members of the 2010 National Champion Auburn Tigers also flunked a drug test because of it.
It's a popular substance among football players, and based off the recent bad reactions to it, it's only a matter of time before something serious occurs. The NFL and NCAA should strongly consider instituting rules banning it and implementing tests for it. Or they could loosen up on the real stuff, which does not have the hallucinogenic or paranoia-inducing side effects.
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