Ex-NFL star says he never used his own urine in league drug tests

Former NFL star cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones previously has been an outspoken advocate of cannabis and even revealed last year that he smoked marijuana before playing in NFL games.

Now in an interview that aired Tuesday, Jones came clean about how he concealed his marijuana use to avoid getting in trouble under the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He said he never used his own urine in league drug tests.

“I cheated the program,” Jones said on Deion Sanders’ weekly show on Tubi called “We Got Time Today.” “Like I was really good. People don’t know how smart I am, but like, I can say it now. I don’t play no more. But like, I’ve never used my (urine) for a (urine) test. Not one time. Not one time.”

Sanders, the show’s co-host, then tried to tell Jones that such cheating “can’t happen today” because the NFL has made it harder for players to do that.

Jones disagreed with Sanders, a mentor of Jones who is currently the head coach at Colorado.

“It can happen if you know what you’re doing,” Jones told Sanders. “Don’t say it can’t happen, pop. Hey pop, don’t say it can’t happen.”

“The reason it can’t because they go in there with you right now,” Sanders said of NFL drug testers. “No, no. They go in there and watch you pull out.”

“You still can get ‘em,” Jones said.

How could Pacman Jones get away with it today?

Sanders’ co-host, Rocsi Diaz, then asked Jones how he still could evade testing positive under the league policy.

“You want me to tell you how?” Jones told her. “I’m gonna give you all the secret right now…”

But Sanders, who doesn’t drink or smoke, wouldn’t let him say more. “Nope, nope, nope,” Sanders said.

“The cups they give you…” Jones said.

Sanders then shut it down before Jones could explain.

Jones, 41, was the sixth overall NFL draft pick in 2005 and went on to play for four NFL teams, including the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals. He last played in the NFL in 2018.

In 2007, he was suspended for the entire season under the league’s personal conduct policy after a number of off-the-field incidents and run-ins with the law. This led to increased drug testing for him, he said, including “every other day” and even when he was out of the country.

The NFL has changed its marijuana policy

The NFL has relaxed its marijuana policy in recent years after pressure from players as society’s views on cannabis generally have become more accepting of its benefits. In Jones’ last season in the NFL, in 2018, 35 nanograms per milliliter triggered a positive test for marijuana under the league’s substance abuse policy, which is agreed to by the NFL Players Association. Just two years ago, it was 150 nanograms per milliliter. Now it’s up to 350 nanograms per milliliter.

Testing positive could lead to fines and previously could lead to suspensions. But cheating the drug test could have led to stiffer punishment if caught. The substance abuse policy in 2018 said that a deliberate attempt to alter a test result “will be treated as a positive test and may subject a player to additional discipline.”

The NFL and the NFL Players Association declined comment Wednesday.

Jones noted on the show with Sanders and Diaz that cannabis is not considered a performance-enhancing drug. It is not part of the league’s separate performance-enhancing drugs policy.

“They’re giving guys opiates, pain pills, muscle relaxers; you’re telling me that a guy that’s smoking THC (cannabis), that it’s helping him perform more, or are you telling me is it helping his body?” Jones said.

He said “no sport” should be testing for THC and said it helps with pain.

“I’m all for the weed,” he said.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

(This story was updated to add new information.)