Former NFL linebacker Scott Fujita told Showtime's Jim Rome on Wednesday night that NFL teams don't care about marijuana use.
The statement was in response to a question from Rome about Shane Ray's drop in the NFL Draft. Ray, an outside linebacker from Missouri, was expected to be a top 10 pick but instead was selected 23rd overall by the Broncos. Ray was cited for marijuana possession three days before the draft. Fujita said Ray's slide down draft boards was a reflection of Ray's poor decision to get busted just before the draft and not about drug use or possession.
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"It's about the timing of him getting into trouble," Fujita said on Rome's Showtime Sports show. "They (NFL teams) don't care about marijuana. They care about it because it's illegal and a federal law, but that's the only reason they care.
"A coach worries that a guy might get popped one too many times and end up missing games, but I've had coaches tell me they'd rather have you go home at night, smoke a bowl, sit your ass on the couch and play Xbox and eat some Cheetos rather than being out at night drinking and getting in trouble."
Fujita was joined on the show by New York Times columnist William Rhoden and former Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin, who raised his hand when Fujita mentioned being out at night and getting in trouble. Irvin was arrested on drug possession charges in 1996 while a member of the Cowboys and twice following his retirement in 1999.
"I never had a coach say that to me," Irvin said while waving his hand in the air, drawing laughter from the studio audience. "I never had that conference."
Nebraska outside linebacker Randy Gregory was also considered a first-round prospect, but wasn't selected until the second round, when the Cowboys took him with the 60th overall pick. Gregory tested positive for pot at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
Fujita added that coaches believe if a player "is dumb enough to get caught the one time a year they're testing, then that's a problem."
"The rest of the year, you've got open season to do whatever you want to do," added Fujita, who played for the Chiefs, Cowboys, Saints and Browns over his 11-year career. He guessed that anywhere between 30 and 50 percent of the league regularly smokes marijuana.