(Photo Credit - Erin Costa) 

Stephen A. Smith starts off his Final Take segment with an important message to athletes - "stay off the wee-eeeeed!" Stephen A. is not anti-cannabis, he just thinks "it's stupid for any athlete to compromise their quality of life for a joint."

One athlete mentioned specifically is the Martavis Bryant who missed a whopping 23 games for drug-related issues which ended up "costing the Pittsburgh Steelers a Superbowl title."

While the segment's intro was heavy on criticism towards Bryant, Stephen A. goes on to say that maybe it's time for the NFL to reconsider rules surrounding marijuana and how this plant may be used as a "remedy." 

Let's be clear, he's not suggesting that the NFL allow its players to smoke up moments before a game given sports' influence on America's youth. With that being said, if the medicinal qualities of marijuana can help players and teams, then "it just may be time to rethink things a little bit."

Check it out for yourself in the ESPN video embedded below. 

D/M/O

Now watch the Secretary of Homeland Security's interview on marijuana's role in the drug war.