Rich Rodriguez Asked About His Thoughts on Players Using Cannabis

Earlier this week, West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez was asked about marijuana use by student-athletes. Why was this brought up? Well, last June, the NCAA removed cannabis from its banned substance list, meaning any policy against it would now shift to the coach or the school.

Over the years, the NCAA would impose random drug tests (still do) and if a player tested positive for cannabis it resulted in a one year suspension from participating in athletic events. That would eventually be dropped down to half a year in 2019.

So, what does Rodriguez think about it?

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

“I know some people say it’s good for you or it’s not good for you. I said, when it was against the rules, you can’t do it because it’s against the rules. That’s like jumping offsides. Jumping offsides is against the rules, so you can’t do it. Smoking marijuana was against the rules, so you can’t do it. That was the end of the story," he stated.

"Now if it’s not against the rules — I don’t know. I’m not knowledgeable enough to know whether it can hinder your performance or if it leads to other stuff, I don’t know. I just know if you do anything in excess, the same way with alcohol, if you do anything in excess, it’s probably not good for you. I would hope our guys are more focused on getting their education, playing big-time football, being a good teammate, and not worrying about getting high.”

Rodriguez didn't say if there would be any program rule against the use of it, but that may be something he'd rather choose to keep in-house.

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