Calvin Johnson, former Detroit Lions wide receiver, is changing the conversation about cannabis and wants to help improve people’s lives with the plant.
Johnson and former Lions teammate Rob Sims are the founders of Michigan-based Primitiv, a cannabis research company.
The company has created a collaboration with Harvard University to research how marijuana can help people with CTE and chronic pain.
“What he’s trying to do here is really, really powerful – in being able to create collaborations that can help find a solution to players who are transitioning out of the NFL,” Harvard Medical School professor Wilfred Ngwa explained.
Johnson will also be the face and voice of a new app created by NESTRE, a Florida-based company that wants to increase brain health and mental wellness.
“It’s not often that you spend time with a Hall of Famer, but at the same time somebody that is just a genuinely good person, no ego,” Tommy Shavers, founder and CEO of NESTRE.
“Yeah, football, Hall of Fame, that’s a great legacy,” Johnson said. “But I would love for my legacy to be able to create something here that goes beyond, creating that quality of life for people and so many different applications. That’s what I’m all about.”
Calvin Johnson will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8 at the age of 35.
