The NFL free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, was arrested in Charlotte, N.C. this week for allegedly possessing five pounds of cannabis, psilocybin mushroom, a stolen vehicle and illegal firearms, including two AR-15s and two AK-47s.
Brilliant Career Until It Wasn't
Breeland, 31, who played eight seasons in the NFL, was recognized as one of the league's best outside cornerbacks in 2020.
He played the 2018 season for the Green Bay Packers and then signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in March 2018 but thr deal was nullified when he failed a physical exam.
Downhill Slide
In 2019, Breeland was on a one-year, $2-million contract deal for the Chiefs in 2019 after spending a year with Green Bay, he was then re-signed by Kansas City with a $4.5 million deal in April. Then came an arrest for the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
He seemed to have sprung back afterward but hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2021 season.
They're All Doing It
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said in June that the majority of NFL players are using cannabis. He estimated that between 50% to 80% of the league's players use marijuana, mostly as an alternative to opioids for pain treatment.
The NFL is finally taking notice and making slight changes to its cannabis policy. Players now face reduced penalties for positive weed tests marijuana after rules were amended in 2021 that oblige players to undergo one weed test per year at the start of training camp.
Too Late For Breeland?
Though not officially retired and still a free agent, after this second and more serious arrest (all those firearms!), it's not likely any team will look at him as a possible option, say various media outlets covering what they’re calling Breeland’s fall from grace.
Breeland was booked in and released on $30,000 bail in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County.
Photo: Bashaud Breeland's Twitter
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