Drugs are Bad: Just Ask B.J. Raji

B.J. Raji, a former Boston College lineman, reportedly failed the NFL combine’s drug test. Previously, he’s been appearing on draft projection lists as a top ten player, top for his position. Will this jeopardize his draft position?

B.J. Raji, Image: Newscom

Maybe.

The report by SI.com (read about it here on ESPN.com) doesn’t identify the drug that came up as positive on the test, but at Boston College, he tested positive for marijuana. While many people, myself included, don’t think weed is as bad as other street drugs, this could affect his standings for a number of reasons:

• If he can’t participate in the combine, another player may stand out in that position.
• Teams may not be willing to take a chance on Raji, since it may mean that he’ll have drug possession problems in the future.
• Drugs aren’t good for your body. Overall, teams could see this as a bad thing for his future – he might be ok today, but what will 10 years of smoking do to his performance?

With so many great players every year, teams want to make sure that their money goes to awesome players. The may not want someone who even hints at having a drug problem – even if that’s not the case.