Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr probably won’t pass a drug test. The NBA Coach Of the Year says he’s tried marijuana to deal with his back pain.
Kerr made the revelation on the Warriors Insider podcast on Friday. Kerr has been suffering from chronic back pain and underwent two back surgeries last year, causing him to sit out half of the Warriors’ record-setting 2015-16 season.
Kerr decided to try weed after he grew tired of taking prescription painkillers. He admits that it didn’t really work or agree with him, but feels that if professional athletes are smoking it to deal with pain, they shouldn’t be penalized for it.
Kerr says:
“I’m not the expert on this stuff. But I do know this: If you’re an NFL player, in particular, and you got a lot of pain, I don’t think there’s any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin. And yet, athletes everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it’s Vitamin C, like it’s no big deal. And there’s like this perception in our country that over-the-counter drugs are fine but pot is bad. Now, I think that’s changing.
You’re seeing that change in these laws that you’re talking about in different states, including California. But I would just hope that sports leagues are able to look past the perception. I’m sure the NFL is worried that their fans are going to go, ‘All the players are potheads.’
Again, without being an expert on it, but I know enough, especially over the last couple of years having gone through my own bout with chronic pain, I know enough about this stuff. Vicodin is not good for you. It’s not. It’s way worse for you than pot.”
NBA league officials haven’t said if they are planning on lifting the ban on marijuana, but they did say they are “adjusting to the times.”
Photo: AP
