Playing professional sports is such a stressful job.  As an athlete, you strive to live up to the pressures of your organization, your peers and your fans.  With each day that breaks, there’s a new set of challenges and obstacles to overcome.  And while we all have to deal with the ups and downs of life, some athletes try to fly high.  Maybe even a little too high.

For years, professional sports leagues have been attempting to squash any and all drug use.  Some guys who couldn’t control their nasty habits ended up weeding themselves out (pun intended). 

But then there are the players who you just know are hittin’ it…yet and still they are some of the best at what they do.  Here’s my list of “chronic winners:”

Josh Howard – We all remember him taking the PR hit for admitting that “NBA players do smoke marijuana (including himself).”  But hey, most of us knew that.  But he’s only a borderline star… 

LeBron James – In his book, “Shooting Stars”, James admits to smoking marijuana one night during what became a high-school circus for him and his St.Vincent-St. Mary’s teammates.  Those of us who have had friends that have gotten lifted know that weed is like Lay’s potato chips.  You can’t have just one. 

Randy's logic: "A few trees a day keeps the doctor away..."

Randy Moss - Some people you can just look at and say “yep…he smokes stacks.”  And then you hear stories like this one, and they just make you laugh.  The guy has unbelievable speed and hands, which are not characteristics of typical weedheads.  What can you say?  Some people eat like pigs and never gain weight, and some people get fat from thinking about eating. 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Even his former teammate, Magic Johnson, tried to garner a laugh at Jabbar’s expense.  Kareem always played the game at a pace much slower than everyone else.  And his feared sky-hook seemed like an invented move that only a medicinal marijuana user could perfect.

Charles Johnson – He admitted to using in his 2007 interview at the NFL scouting combine.  Johnson is a super-athlete who has his head on stright and is very productive on the football field.  He could easily do some “Got Weed?” commercials.

Michael Vick – Say what?  You thought I forgot about his suspected ganja use in the face of his new dogfighting image?  Who else do you know that carries around a water bottle with a secret compartment?