by BORDENTOWN, NJ – It’s a hot, wet, and foggy off-season night in December, and about 40 miles north of Lincoln Financial Field, adjacent to the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, lies a dispensary full of Philadelphia Eagles fans waiting to see one of the team’s former stars, Chris Long. who helped bring a Super Bowl trophy to town.
The defensive lineman of 11 years, who retired in 2018 and helped the Eagles win their first Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 2017 season, appeared at a meet and greet with fans Wednesday night at Curaleaf in Bordentown, New Jersey.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve been on the team, but I still welcome it when I come back,” Long told Fox News Digital in an interview with the cannabis dispensary, which offers an extensive menu for recreational and medical consumers.
“And that’s really important to me because I really wanted to make a good impression on the fans when I came here. I have a lot of respect for the fanbase and I’m really lucky to be on this team. It’s great to feel good. It’s good energy when we come back. That’s the best part of being champions, she understands.” are you?”
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Chris Long at Curaleaf in Bordentown, NJ, December 7, 2022.
(Analise Olszewski, Herban Creative)
Long said he had a season with the New England Patriots, and the St. Louis joined the Eagles after eight years with the Rams. He was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2008 draft. When he joined the Eagles in 2017, he made five sacks and 28 interceptions with four forced drop-offs. In 2018, he recorded 6.5 sacks with 23 steals and two mandatory drop-offs.
Since his retirement, Long has been an advocate for the use of cannabis specifically to treat pain. He told Fox News Digital that at first he used marijuana to help him sleep.
“What drove me to marijuana actually was sleep. So for me it was insomnia, sleeping pills – all sorts of nasty side effects – and it really had an overall negative impact on my mental health and just my sleep.” said. “And the best day of my life was the day I stopped using cannabis for fun. ‘Oh, I can really benefit from this herb. It’s a game-changer. I also love using cannabis for many reasons. But for me it was sleep that got me moving.”
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Long has said before that she uses marijuana to treat pain and help her sleep while playing. The NFL was much tougher when it came to failed drug tests for marijuana. Long suggested that circumventing drug tests is simple because players know the history of the test, but trying to stay clean in the days and weeks leading up to the test is difficult.
New England Patriots’ Tom Brady (12) tackles Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long (56) in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII held at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on February 4, 2018.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“You know when they happen,” Long said of drug tests. “Honestly a few weeks I had to take a break, when I quit pot before my test, I was the worst version of myself because I wasn’t at peace. I was anxious. All the stress of a professional football Season was usually approaching because it would usually be at the camp where we were being tested. Those things were coming to the surface. And it’s definitely hard. to relax after a training day and that sort of thing, I missed it. And so, as soon as it was tested, it was much better. Then you could start and then you would more or less know when to stop.
“Now they’ve raised the threshold so it’s easier to get around it. But I think it’s very important to remove the stigma in sports. It’s like we’re removing the stigma in general. So that’s something you have to do.” use it responsibly. But this is not something we should be afraid of. A tool for many people. And it was for me as an athlete. I think removing that stigma as an athlete, because people see us as ‘us’. These are excellent physical specimens, it’s part of my routine and it works for me.”
Today, Long said that using marijuana isn’t just for pain. He said, among other things, that he used the drug to treat his own social anxiety and that he would rather smoke marijuana than have a few glasses of wine.
“I use this for social anxiety because I’m going to go somewhere and everybody has three or four drinks or something and I really, you know, I don’t like going to a dinner party and putting the 4-6 back on it,” he told Fox News Digital. “Before I go, I want to smoke a pot in the parking lot. And because for me it’s like a glass of merlot or something.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long (56) tries to beat Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson (4) in the second half at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2018 in Philadelphia.
(Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
“So, sometimes it can take advantage that way. Sometimes, it helps me work in a certain capacity. Sometimes it helps me focus on what I need to focus on, and then, depending on usage, Help me sleep. Really, it’s up to people to decide responsibly and carefully because that’s powerful. “It’s something and a powerful solution. You also have to be responsible for how you get into this business and just see what feels right for you. That’s how I would talk to another player, athlete or person.”
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Breaking the stigma that comes with marijuana use is one of the challenges Long and other athletes face. WeedMaps, a California-based marijuana delivery service, was not allowed to run an ad during the Super Bowl, despite the game being played in the Los Angeles area and recreational marijuana is legal in the state.
Chris Long of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates defeating the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
(Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Long said one of the steps to breaking the stigma would be for people to be more open about marijuana use.
“I think it’s just that people are open about the way they live their lives. For me, that’s something I talk about without any shame,” he said. “I was talking to someone there and they said, ‘Thank you for coming here and trying to work on stigma.’
“I manage all this and I smoke marijuana. It might sound silly to say it out loud, but we’re at this point. It’s like people have these stereotypes. And marijuana is a part of my life. They have another routine like someone else, it’s part of their life and that’s me. “It helps a lot. So, I think more and more people are talking about athletes and these kinds of things just to normalize it. And it’s not like it’s a big, scary thing. It’s just a part of my life.”
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Advice to others who want to pamper themselves? Use marijuana responsibly – just like anything else.
“Use responsibly and try different things and start small, just like you would with anything else,” Long told Fox News Digital. “That’s the thing. Someone will walk into one of these shops and buy something a little too strong. So, some friends of my family were like, ‘Hey, I read that you’re uhh…’
“Me too, you really should read the labels because that’s not what you drank in the eighties, seventies or sixties. I think it’s like talking to people in a place like Curaleaf. It’s a lot.” Talented, bright people behind the counter who can push you in the right direction. And know what you want out of it, and then you can somehow go in the direction you feel.”
Chris Long poses with the company’s Curaleaf employees in Bordentown, NJ, December 7, 2022.
(Analise Olszewski, Herban Creative)
Long is never too far from the game even though he is away from the court. He hosts the “Green Light” podcast and is the founder of the Waterboys foundation, which helps bring drinking water to communities in need. It also follows the 2022 Eagles, which went into Sunday 11-1.
Philadelphia is the best team in the NFL, with quarterback Jalen Hurts emerging as the MVP contender, wide receiver Devonta Smith taking a giant leap forward in his career, and the acquisition of AJ Brown, which pays enormous dividends.
“I was surprised how I could see an MVP nominee coming in so quickly,” Long said of the Hurts. “The guy was a rookie just like a year ago because Carson (Wentz), the whole situation in his rookie year, it’s like he didn’t really have a real rookie year and it’s a tough situation to get into. I think his stamina is incredible. His leadership qualities are there and seeing the guys rally around him It’s really easy. And he throws a nice ball out of the numbers, so it’s like just watching him and AJ Brown work together, it’s like they were made for each other.”
Getting to the Super Bowl is not going to be an easy road.
The Eagles and Minnesota Vikings have the best records in the NFC with the Dallas Cowboys not far behind. The only key to getting the Eagles to the Super Bowl will be getting the #1 spot in the playoffs.
Chris Long receives the Walter Payton Award during Super Bowl LIII held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on February 3, 2019.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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“The home court advantage,” Long said of what’s important for the Eagles to return to the Super Bowl. “I think NFC is harder than people think. I think they pair well with the Vikings. I was worried about the Niners but Jimmy G was injured, so Brock Purdy, nothing definite.
“And then you talk about the Cowboys. That’s probably the other kind of underwhelming team and they’re going to see them at Christmas. This game is going to be a big drive as to who gets the home advantage, and I think, therefore, who’s going to the Super Bowl because this game is Dallas and There’s a huge fluctuation in how it’s played and the weather in Philly.
