Former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer hoped his phone would ring. He hoped the NFL would take notice of research studies on cannabidiol (CBD), a compound in cannabis that has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. He hoped the league would initiate a discussion about the studies that he has pushed for and that Eugene Monroe, an offensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, has helped to fund.
The hope turned into reality the morning of June 2. Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of player health and safety, and Russell Lonser, a neurological surgeon and a member of the league’s head, neck and spine committee, sat in on a conference call with Monroe, Plummer, Ryan Kingsbury of CW Botanicals and the lead researchers on the CBD studies, Dr.