Moments before the 2016 NFL Draft, video circulated online that showed prospect Laremy Tunsil wearing a gas mask and smoking an unidentified substance from a bong. The video, posted on Tunsil’s own Twitter account, caused the Ole Miss left tackle to slide from a possible spot as the top overall pick all the way to 13th. It was a chain of events that cost him millions of dollars thanks to the way the league ties rookie contract value to draft position.
Six years later, Tunsil will use that leaked video to make money instead. Wednesday, one day before the 2022 NFL Draft, he announced he’ll mint the moment as a one-of-one NFT and donate a portion of its sale price to the nonprofit Last Prisoner Project.
I'm officially moving on and putting this moment in the past.
I'm minting a 1 of 1 NFT of the infamous gas mask video to be listed. A portion of the proceeds will benefit @lastprisonerprj which supports those incarcerated for cannabis offenses.— Laremy Tunsil (@KingTunsil78) April 27, 2022
The Last Prisoner Project describes itself as an organization “dedicated to repairing the harms of the criminalization of cannabis through intervention, advocacy, and awareness.” It’s a worthy cause for Tunsil, who saw his draft stock tanked in part due to how NFL teams viewed marijuana use in 2016.
The league has softened its stance on the drug considerably in recent years as more and more states — 19 including the District of Columbia — have legalized its recreational use. The NFL no longer tests for marijuana between April and August. The threshold for a positive in-season weed test was also raised from 35 nanograms per milliliter of urine to 150 in that 2021 rulebook change.
Tunsil overcame his draft day tumble to become the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman in 2020 by signing a three-year, $66 million contract extension with the Houston Texans. By minting one of the lowest moments of his career, he’ll have the opportunity to help others who had their plans waylaid by marijuana-related penalties.
