Randy Moss…Percy Harvin…DeSean Jackson.

Those are just a few names of offensively talented NFL players who have been tied to reports of recreational marijuana use – at the very least.  But how much of an imprint does the drug have in the National Football League?

Well, if the reports from this year’s incoming rookie class are accurate, the imprint is significant.  More than one-third of 2010′s projected first-round selections have had run-ins with the pot police while they were in college.  Which brings us to an important question?

Do team executives really care about the mixed messages that they are sending to the general public?

In many aspects, NFL Commissioner Goddell has distinguished himself as a no-nonsense leader…one that will do his part to protect the integrity of a sport that has become the most popular in the United States.  But to what lengths will his honor reach?

Ricky Williams could probably smoke up a whole forest in one weekend.

The NFL knows that it has players on its teams payrolls that openly engage in the puffing past time – and at the moment, teams use their own discernment when it comes to players that reported have the habit.  The subject of marijuana and the effect of its abusers on society is obviously not as clear cut as that of a murderer, cocaine dealer or rapist.  And thus, there’s this gray area over sports when it comes to this subject.  Even the most aggressive opponent of drugs would have the tendency to shrug his shoulders when asked whether weed is an altogether bad thing – and should be classified with other hardcore drugs.

One thing is for certain – just like alcohol, we know that the most damaging effects could be experienced by accident victims, or those not under the influence who get caught up with those who are.  So unlike hardcore drugs, marijuana is more likely to affect others than one’s self.  And perhaps that’s the exact reason why the NFL is willing to put blinders on when it comes to this.

The mixed message is there - the NFL doesn’t want its players touching some drugs, but they only discourage them from partaking in certain others.  And it’s not as if there haven’t been some recent tragedies from the “softcore” drugs.  I think we all remember Dante Stallworth’s manslaughter case.  And we’d be fooling ourselves if we thought that Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t under the influence of something during his nightclub escapades.

So, when the NFL starts screaming about the drug problem that it might have, let’s just remember that it was the league’s choice to accept the choices of its workforce. 

Building a winning team costs money.  But in this case, building a winning brand could ultimately cost the league some respect.