Former Jacksonville Jaguars player Eben Britton said arriving at games and trainings while high on pot was not a big deal, and improved the way he played: "My performances were solid."

Former NFL offensive lineman Eben Britton has revealed to the New York Post that he not only smoked marijuana regularly as a player, but also was high during games on three occasions.

Britton even went as far as to say that smoking the weed improved his game.

"NFL games I played stoned were some of the best games I ever played," Britton said. "Cannabis cements your surroundings. A lot of people say they're useless when they smoke weed. But hell, I played NFL games [while stoned], dude. My performances were solid, and I felt really good after."

Britton said he often smoked pot to relieve "psychological distress or sciatica or pain in my shoulders." He estimated "over 50 percent and it could be as high as 75 percent" of NFL players use the substance.

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The relationship between athletes and marijuana isn't new, but there is growing research to indicate the benefits could go well beyond recreation.

A number of current and former NFL players are calling for the league to consider more research on marijuana.

According to reports in the States marijuana use among football players seems unlikely to end anytime soon. Last week, former Colorado State running back Treyous Jarrells told reporters he was high in almost every game he played before quitting the team early in the 2015 season.

He's since obtained a license to grow marijuana in Colorado.

"I practiced under the influence," Jarrells said. "I played games under the influence. This is my medicine. I've seen players at CSU pop five, 10 ibuprofens before practice. Daily. You think that's good? Over the course of two, three years, that's eating your liver away."

The NFL has remained steadfast in its ban on marijuana, though it continues to research the issue.