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PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He laughed heartily when 93.7 the Fan’s Joe Starkey joked with him that he’s opening up a medical marijuana store on the same road his Steelers teammates Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were arrested. What David DeCastro said of his new business.
A Stanford graduate, DeCastro said he knew from his earliest days that players used marijuana to cope with some of the stresses and pains of playing in the NFL. It took a little time before he was convinced to give it a try.
“To be honest with you, I think a lot of the NFL uses the product,” DeCastro told Starkey and Bob Pompeani on 93.7 The Fan. “I was kinda hesitant at first and Maurkice Pouncey kind of convinced me to do it.”
“It helped me a lot in my career. I kind of fell in love with it being able to relax after games.”
As DeCastro started using marijuana, his feeling was it was healthier for the body than the dozens of players who would use Toradol to help deal with the pain of playing a violent sport. What he told Pomp and Joe he found was it helped with the recovery process and just allowing the body to reset.
Six or seven years ago, the now 35-year-old started investing in the business and then recently got into the dispensary business and is heavily involved in a new store on McKnight Road in the North Hills. He said with recreation marijuana still illegal in Pennsylvania, you need to talk to your doctor and get a card in order to shop at his new store.
DeCastro said he still uses marijuana at night and it helps takes any pain and stress away.
As for a pair of memories about his nine-year career with the Steelers.
Playoff game at Cincinnati
It ended up being an 18-16 Steelers win at Cincinnati in the Wild Card round in 2016.
“I will never forget leaving Cincinnati when we beat them in that playoff game,” DeCastro said on 93.7 The Fan. “Joey Porter (Senior, then a coach with the Steelers) was on the field. PacMan Jones got the penalty. We had no business winning that game.”
“What just happened? We are leaving Cincinnati and everyone is flipping you the bird. You are just sitting there laughing. What just happened?”
Misses the game
“You miss your friends,” DeCastro told Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey. “You miss that sense of purpose. That sense of stress that pushes you to be great. I loved working out. I loved everything about football. It gave me so much.”
“I lived the dream. You got to pinch yourself and you got to be thankful that I had the career I did. I accomplished everything I wanted to and did it with some great people in a great city and organization. I’m happy to be here and raising my kids here.”
To find that competitive addiction, DeCastro has turned to golf. The 2012 Steelers first-round pick said he’s improved from a 24 to a 17 handicap and learned the number one rule in golf ‘if you are going to suck, suck fast’.
“}]] LISTEN to what David DeCastro said of how marijuana helped his career and a few memories of playing for the Steelers & what drives him now Read More
