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[April 29, 2017] April 28 (The Sports Xchange) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell may be willing to consider allowing players to use marijuana for medical reasons, but he remains strongly against the banned drug for recreational use.

Goodell said Friday morning on ESPN's "Mike & Mike" radio show that he continues to believe marijuana has an "addictive nature" and likely won't be cleared by the NFL anytime soon as a pain-relief alternative.

"I think you still have to look at a lot of aspects of marijuana use," Goodell said. "Is it something that can be negative to the health of our players? Listen, you're ingesting smoke, so that's not usually a very positive thing that people would say.

"It does have addictive nature. There are a lot of compounds in marijuana that may not be healthy for the players long-term. All of those things have to be considered. And it's not as simple as someone just wants to feel better after a game.

"We really want to help our players in that circumstance but I want to make sure that the negative consequences aren't something that is something that we'll be held accountable for some years down the road."

Goodell acknowledged the league will continue to evaluate whether marijuana can be used at some point for medical reasons.

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The New England Patriots turned down another inquiry from the Cleveland Browns about a trade involving backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Browns inquired Thursday night during the NFL Draft about acquiring 25-year-old Garoppolo and were told again the Patriots were not interested, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

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Tight end Gary Barnidge was informed by the Browns he will be released.

Barnidge, 31, signed a three-year extension worth more than $12 million prior to last season but became expendable Thursday when the Browns landed Miami (Fla.) tight end David Njoku.

Njoku was the 29th pick in the first round on Thursday.

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From one NFL star to another, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is asking Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown to treat his little brother, first-round pick T.J. Watt, like any other rookie.

T.J. Watt, an outside linebacker out of Wisconsin, was taken by the Steelers with the 30th overall pick in Thursday night's NFL Draft, joining older brothers J.J. and Derek in the NFL.

The Texans' All-Pro defensive end said he texted Brown -- they were teammates at Central Michigan before Watt transferred to Wisconsin.

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The Bears pulled off the most stunning move of Thursday night's first round of the NFL Draft by trading up for Trubisky.

Apparently, the plan to target the North Carolina quarterback was news to coach John Fox as well.

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Bears general manager Ryan Pace kept his intentions to himself and didn't notify Fox until shortly before the draft began. )

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