FOXBORO, MA – OCTOBER 13: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Green Bay Packers prepares to pass against the New England Patriots on October 13, 2002 at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Favre threw his 300th touchdown pass in this game. The Packers defeated the Patriots 28-10. (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images)
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was very strategic on how he acquired pain medication from his teammates early in his career.
Brett Favre learned very quickly once he entered the NFL one way to deal with the pain and pressure of playing on the brightest stage against the toughest, most physical competition.
“I was 22-years old when I took my first pain pill and times were a lot different then,” Favre said. “I had a serious pain pill addiction”
Favre was very strategic on how he would feed his addiction habit from both the team he played for and from his teammates.
“It was not uncommon after a game to say I’m sore can I get two pain pills and they (the team) would give em out,” Favre said. “If I said I need ten they (team) would say ‘absolutely not’, so what I was doing as I graduated up for lack of a better term to more and more pills, I would have other guys get their two pills.”
According to Favre, his teammates were not aware that they were feeding their quarterbacks pain pill addiction.
“I think I was crafty enough to not let on that I was getting pills from other guys as well,” Favre said. “I wouldn’t go in front of eight guys and ask one guy for pills and then another guy because I’m sure there would have been some guys calling me out on it. I kept it as quiet as possible for three years until I had two seizures one after a surgery one right in the middle of the season. Then everyone knew there was a serious issue.”
Getting past the pain pills addiction was not easy for Favre like it isn’t for most.
“Dating back to 1996, I spent three different stints in drug rehab trying to shake it and get behind it, eventually I did. I definitely am an advocate for non-addicting pain relieving solutions.”
Favre is now working in the CBD space as the new ambassador for Green Eagle. He tried the product after an intense workout and was excited about the benefits.
“I had just run a half-marathon and my legs were about to kill me but it wasn’t structural, just soreness and I rubbed it on there and it worked. I think it’s a great product, I think its safe and its drug-free which was very important to me.”
The NFL Pain Management Committee and NFL Players Association continue to debate the benefits of CBD and THC. There is wide-ranging support from the players for both to be legal. Favre would like to see the NFL support its players.
“I think where the NFL can get better is working on a treatment for concussions,” Favre said. “I think they are doing better in other areas but concussions needs a lot of work. Bringing out better helmets is not going to alleviate the concussion problem.”
To listen to the entire Brett Favre interview check out Da Windy City podcast. Among the topics discussed: Tom Brady moving onto to Tampa Bay, to how Favre feels he came up short in Green Bay winning titles, rivalry with Chicago and the Packers drafting Jordan Love in the first round while they still have Aaron Rodgers.