NFL great Brett Favre backs CBD brand Green Eagle in latest business venture

After years contending with the aches and pains of professional football, former NFL great Brett Favre has partnered with Green Eagle, a CBD brand that bills its products as a safe method of pain management.

Favre, 50, will serve as brand ambassador for the New Jersey-based company, which sells as a variety of CBD products, including topical creams and sprays, meant to help with muscle recovery and pain relief. The former Green Bay Packers star, who has been open about his past struggles with an addiction to painkillers during his lengthy NFL career, said he agreed to work with Green Eagle after learning CBD did not have addictive qualities.

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“I’ve turned down a lot of endorsements over my career simply because it just wasn’t a good fit,” Favre told FOX Business. “But this was a product that I could relate to because it works. I’ve tried it, it’s drug-free, and I can certainly speak volumes about what pain pills can do to you. Any alternative to addictive pain relief, I’m for, and this is one of them.”

Favre, 50, is the latest of several NFL players to partner with a CBD brand amid an ongoing surge in demand for the products. Tampa Bay Buccaneers star tight end Rob Gronkowski, former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson have all advocated CBD is a safer alternative to opioid-based pain medications.

The terms of Favre's deal with Green Eagle were not disclosed.

A hemp derivative, CBD does not contain THC, the psychoactive compound found in marijuana. The NFL has softened its strict stance on marijuana in recent years, even launching studies about its potential use for player pain relief. However, the league does not allow its teams or active players to partner with CBD brands.

“The first time I was exposed to pain pills was after a third-degree separation of my left shoulder in year two in Green Bay,” Favre said. “Honestly, I don’t know how much a CBD product would have helped, but I can think of tons of aches and pains I had that it would have helped. I do think at some point, when people become knowledgeable about it and realize that not all of it has THC in it and it works, I think it will become more mainstream, certainly in sports.”

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A three-time NFL MVP, Favre has remained one of football’s most marketable figures in the years since his retirement. His endorsement portfolio includes deals with Wrangler Jeans and Copper Fit.

Favre said he sees CBD as a useful tool for NFL players, who maintain rigorous year-round training schedules.

“There’s so much pain involved in playing,” Favre said. “Obviously it’s a violent sport and even in the offseason, injuries linger. You really can’t time off and so you’re lifting weights, you’re running. The NFL players, I’d say probably 99% do what they need to do, some more so than others, but that puts a lot of stress on your body."

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