The former Broncos’ quarterback and other retired and active NFL players believe Cannabinoids, a nonpsychoactive compound in cannabis, could be an alternative to potent painkillers used by players in the league.

Plummer and many other retired and active NFL players believe the compound is an effective alternative to the potent painkillers they receive while in the league and that players should be allowed to use it.

So he and four other ex-NFL players, as well as one current one, have teamed with a Colorado hemp producer and its partnering non-profit to raise money for research to find out if Cannabinoids is a safe and viable treatment for not only pain but also symptoms of concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The mission of their campaign — “When the Bright Lights Fade” — isn’t necessarily to advocate for the NFL’s approval of marijuana, though many believe weed should be legal for players to use, but to first work with researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania to study football players’ use of cannabinoids and the body’s tolerance of them long term.