Could Kory Sheets’ pot bust affect his NFL career?

May 7, 2014 at 8:23 p.m.

Former Saskatchewan Roughriders' running back Kory Sheets appears to have got himself into some legal hot water. RCMP confirmed Wednesday that Sheets (who signed with the NFL's Oakland Raiders earlier this offseason but stayed in Saskatchewan to work an oil job) was pulled over for speeding several weeks ago outside Estevan, SK, and caught with marijuana during the stop. Sheets had 6.4 grams of pot with him, and pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana. However, he wasn't charged with impaired driving, and he received only a 24-hour license suspension and an absolute discharge on the possession charge (he donated $300 to Students Against Drunk Driving as part of the discharge). Moreover, this doesn't appear to have stopped him from joining the Raiders; Sheets posed an Instagram photo Wednesday of himself working out at Oakland's training facility. Still, the NFL's drug policy might come into play here, and that could affect his chances of making (and staying on) the team this year. SB Nation Raiders' blog Silver and Black Pride had an interesting take on that:

Marijuana is nothing new to professional athletes, nor college ones either after 13 NFL draft prospects failed their drug tests at the combine. It isn't so much a problem with the drug which has been on a path to legalization in many states in one form or another though, its risking so much by using it during a time where they are hoping to make an NFL team that is the real problem.
With Kory Sheets being signed already to an NFL contract with the Oakland Raiders he will likely be subject to some sort of discipline from the league. The first offense to the NFL's drug policy usually results in a 4 game suspension to start Week 1 of the regular season. The NFL has not commented on anything regarding Sheets as of yet.
Kory still has to make the Raiders roster for any type of punishment to matter. Also, it could come into play that this offense was in Canada where he was given an Absolute Discharge for the occurrence. This means the case is officially closed and sometimes means there is no conviction for a crime despite a guilty plea. If this is the case it could change the NFL's stance on punishment though he likely will still face some sort of penalty from the Commissioner.
Another player who was battling for a roster spot last year that had been given a 4 game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy was WR Andre Holmes. Ironically the suspension may have helped him make the team because he did not count against the roster until after the suspension so the Raiders had an extra 4 weeks to make a decision on him. The same circumstances could play out again this year for Kory Sheets.

It's notable that the NFL's drug policy on marijuana has often been rather draconian, and that the southern league hasn't been too flexible about considering a player's time in Canada. Consider the case of former Seattle Seahawk and current New England Patriot cornerback Brandon Browner, who tested positive for marijuana last season and was suspended indefinitely by the league as a result. The NFL initially said he committed the violation while in Stage Three of their drug program, which would have led to a banishment of at least one year, and they did so because he supposedly committed drug program violations by "missing" NFL tests while he was playing in the CFL from 2007-2010. That led to Browner's agent threatening a lawsuit, and that led to the NFL eventually relenting and reducing his suspension to four games. It took an awful lot of effort to get there, though.

Exactly what the NFL will do here isn't clear. This wasn't Sheets failing a league-mandated drug test, but rather him being caught with marijuana, and that happened in another country where he received an absolute discharge. However, NFL judgement doesn't always reflect legal judgement. Under commissioner Roger Goodell, the league has suspended plenty of players under the personal conduct policy, ranging from a five-game suspension for Terrelle Pryor for involvement in the Ohio State scandal to the indefinite suspension of Aaron Hernandez (who's in jail awaiting trial for murder). Those suspensions have sometimes come without any criminal charges being filed, as was the case with Pryor. Essentially, if Roger Goodell and the NFL feel like suspending Sheets for getting in legal trouble and "disgracing the shield", they probably can.

Of course, this is all rather silly considering that marijuana has been legalized for at least some medical purposes in 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. (Canadian law on the issue is rather disputed, including ongoing court challenges, but at least some medical marijuana licenses are allowed.) Marijuana has also been legalized for recreational purposes in two U.S. states with NFL teams, Colorado and Washington. Even more importantly, there's a vast and growing body of research that marijuana may be a better option for football players' pain treatment than conventional painkillers. Still, for the moment, the NFL has only said they're keeping an eye on the research, and they're still testing players for pot (but only in the off-season, unless they're already in the drug-treatment program), and Sheets could be in trouble with the league as a result of this charge.

What happens if Sheets doesn't wind up sticking with the Raiders and wants to come back to Canada? Well, interestingly enough, the CFL only tests for performance-enhancing drugs, but its teams still haven't been terribly progressive on marijuana. Consider Jonathan Hefney, cut last offseason by Winnipeg (he wound up landing with Calgary) shortly after he was charged with marijuana possession in Georgia. That tolerance obviously varies from team to team; remember that Ricky Williams came to play with the Toronto Argonauts while he was suspended from the NFL for marijuana use. That loophole's since been closed, though, so if Sheets is officially suspended by the NFL, he couldn't return to the CFL during the duration of his suspension. Still, it would be quite something to see how much interest CFL teams would have in him if he did want to return north of the border. While not all teams are fond of those who get in trouble for pot, a chance to sign the reigning Grey Cup MVP and one of the league's most dominant running backs might be tough to pass on.

In the end, that's likely all moot, though. If the NFL does wind up suspending Sheets (not a certainty), the bet here is that it will likely only be for four games. That could affect his chances of sticking with the Raiders, sure, but even if they cut him, other teams will likely be interested; Sheets attracted plenty of bites from the NFL this offseason, including the Indianapolis Colts. A suspension may hurt his chance for being a starter or even making much of an NFL impact, but it seems unlikely to drive him out of the league entirely; Sheets is incredibly talented, and he seems to be close to the NFL's preferred model. (At 5'11 and 208 pounds, he may be a little small by NFL RB standards, but not incredibly so, unlike many CFLers who have tried to make the jump.) The bet here is that Sheets will probably wind up facing a short suspension and then make an NFL impact after that, rather in Oakland or elsewhere. Still, this charge could have a notable effect on where he lands and how he does.