Ryan Clark Says NFL Players Use Marijuana As Stress Buster, To Heal Wounds [VIDEO]

Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark says he believes NFL players, including several of his teammates, turn to marijuana as a way of relieving pain and managing stress.

The 12-year veteran made his comments in a recent episode of ESPN's "First Take," where he added "I know guys on my team who smoke. And it's not a situation where you think, 'Oh, these guys are trying to be cool.' These are guys who want to do it recreationally."

Clark later added "a lot of it is stress relief. A lot of it is pain and medication. Guys feel like, 'If I can do this, it keeps me away from maybe Vicodin, it keeps me away from pain prescription drugs and things that guys get addicted to.' Guys look at this as a more natural way to heal themselves, to stress relieve and also to medicate themselves for pain. Guys are still going to do it."

Clark added he seconds the sentiments recently expressed by New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie where he argued the league is wrongfully waging a war aimed at banning the substance

Clark later tweeted "I don't smoke marijuana. I won't smoke marijuana. The NFL shouldn't push marijuana but I'd be a fool to say that people don't use it."

Clark also told ESPN "it's 100 percent true. They're fighting a losing battle. The testing isn't stringent. There is one random test during OTAs and minicamps during the offseason, and everybody will be tested early in training camp. After that, there are no more tests. So guys understand the ways to get around failing a drug test."