Longhorns RB Legend Reveals Crazy Stories on NFL Marijuana Use

Errick Miron, formerly known as Ricky Williams has continued to make headlines in the years following his NFL career.

The legendary Texas Longhorns running back is probably best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998 and becoming one of the best college football players of all time along the way. But along with legally changing his name in May, Miron has established his own brand of cannabis products cleverly called "Highsman," as he has become one of the lead faces of cannabis-based pain management for athletes.

And during an interview on USA Today’s weekly show Sports Seriously, Williams shared some of the intriguing stories that could have "sparked" his passion for combining smoking weed with football.

During Miron's rookie year with the New Orleans Saints in 1999, he said his teammates were already trying to show him the benefits that weed could bring to his NFL career.

I played a long time ago and I played for a long time. So things have changed a lot when I first got into the league. My rookie year, a Hall of Fame player on the team, he’s in the Hall of Fame now, invited me over to his house and he gave me the speech about how to take care of yourself in the NFL. And he pulled out some cannabis, crushed it up, split a blunt, opened it up, put the cannabis in there, took a Vicodin, crushed it up, sprinkled the Vico in there, rolled up the blunt and passed it to me. That was a vet, teaching me as a rookie, how to take care of myself in the NFL.

The only Hall of Famer on the Saints' roster during Miron's rookie year was offensive tackle Willie Roaf, so this may be who he's referring to without dropping a name directly.

Over a decade later, following seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins and one year in the Canadian Football League, the popularity of cannabis products for players behind closed doors was still high during Miron's final year in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2011.

My last year in the NFL, I was playing for the Ravens. And one point we were in the playoffs and I was leaving the facility and there were guys coming in with a plate full of ‘brownies.’ They (were) going to go watch film, so yeah … And now, because it’s more legal, it’s to the point, why wouldn’t you (use it) if you’re in the NFL? I think in the future, teams are gonna be supplying cannabis for the players because they’ve realized it’s a healthy alternative [to] pharmaceuticals.”

When he was known as Williams, the legendary running back became Texas' all-time leader in rushing yards (6,279) and rushing touchdowns (72).

Miron broke or tied 21 NCAA Division I-A records, 24 Big 12 Conference records and 46 Texas Longhorns school records in his career and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Now, he's becoming the face of an innovative but controversial industry that could be gaining legal traction in the NFL in the foreseeable future.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Sign up for the daily LonghornsCountry.com Newsletter Today!

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.