Former NBA player Al Harrington wants to get in on the marijuana industry. And it all started, surprisingly, with his grandma.
“She suffered from glaucoma and diabetes...I was reading about all the medicinal benefits of cannabis, and I said that she should try it,” Harrington told Cheddar.
Initially his grandmother resisted, but after her very first try she was already feeling a lot better. “She inspired me to invest in a company to get into the cannabis space.”
Later this year, Harrington will release his own line of marijuana products aimed at pain relief for athletes, one he created by drawing on his own experiences. He had 14 surgeries throughout his career and told Cheddar that he suffered from chronic pain.
In the next three to five years, the NBA may even remove marijuana from its list of banned substances for players, starting with CBD products, says Harrington.
“Players should have access to...an alternative way of medicating themselves.”
“I’m a firm believer that if I had known this information that I know now, I probably could have played another three years in the NBA,” says Harrington.
Harrington spent 16 years in the league, most recently with the Washington Wizards, before retiring from the Sydney Kings in 2015.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-former-nba-star-al-harrington-is-capitalizing-on-cannabis).
Bettis, known as "The Bus" when he was an unstoppable running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, voiced support for the NFL player protests but also said he thought the league was "doing the right thing" in a tense situation.
Serena Williams's altercation with a chair umpire during the U.S. Open final was just the latest example of women being treated differently than their male counterparts in the sport. But whether things change by the Australian Open in January, said the Washington Post's Cindy Boren, is hard to say.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Randal Hill, a former NFL wide receiver, is optimistic even in the face of the protest controversy that has divided America. He told Cheddar Big News that one of the best things about sports leagues is how they can heal national wounds.
Rich Tamayo, the director of guest experience for the Baltimore Ravens, said that the changes being made for Ravens fans will "change the game in the way our fans experience the stadium." The Ravens start their season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Social live-streaming is today where social media was in the mid-2000s. At least that's what 21st Century Fox is betting. The CEO of Caffeine, which just took a $100 million investment from the media giant, is looking toward the future of the industry.
Todd Martin, the CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, said he sees a possibility for an upset in the men's semifinal, but Serena Williams has it all but wrapped up on the women's side.
Nate Boyer, a former NFL player and Green Beret, is the man behind Colin Kaepernick's protests in 2016 when he suggested that the quarterback kneel instead of sit during the National Anthem as a sign of a respect. Two years later, Boyer believes people are missing the point of his protest and not listening to both sides of the issue.
Scooby Axson, a writer and producer for Sports Illustrated and an Army veteran, said that Pres. Trump is using Nike's Colin Kaepernick ad to stoke anger in his base.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
