Paradoxical Policies: The Arrest of Brandon Williams and the NBA’s Marijuana Contradiction

On a Saturday morning in October 2025, Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams was on his way through Terminal C of Dallas Fort Worth’s International Airport. As his suitcase traveled through TSA screening, it was flagged by an agent, who identified a container that held something an incident report later described as “a green leafy substance.” The contents tested positive for THC and turned out to be marijuana. Williams claimed that his manager was the one who packed his bag (and was thus responsible for the misstep), but the young guard was nonetheless arrested at the airport and charged with possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, an offense that is a misdemeanor in the state of Texas.

If this were a different era, Williams’ story may have ended with a considerable suspension passed down by the league, a weighty fine, and an undeniable public relations crisis. Instead, the Mavericks player’s October 26 arrest only magnified a growing disconnect within professional sports: the tension between progressive league policies and a shifting patchwork of restrictive federal and state regulations.

From the perspective of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Williams’ alleged possession is a non-issue—at least officially. In 2023, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and the league were able to come to terms on a new seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). One of the agreement’s most significant adjustments involved the removal of marijuana from the league’s list of banned substances. The NBA has now formally stopped randomized testing for cannabis, a move that effectively decriminalizes use for its players.

Under the new CBA, marijuana is treated much like alcohol. The only true path that the league has towards intervention would be if a player were to show signs of addiction and dependency or if the individual were believed to be under the influence while acting in an official league or team capacity. The NBA’s policy shift is in line with broader societal acceptance and a growing understanding that marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug. The change also brings the league in line with other major sports leagues. For example, the NHL no longer punishes players for positive marijuana tests, instead referring athletes whose readings contain “abnormally high levels” of THC to substance abuse programs. The MLB also removed cannabis from their banned list in 2019, with the NFL now significantly limiting their respective testing window to a two-week timeframe during training camp, having also replaced suspensions with fines.

However, these progressive policies are an idealistic bubble that bursts the moment a player steps into the wrong jurisdiction. While the NBA may not punish Williams for his marijuana possession, the state of Texas certainly can. Use of recreational marijuana remains illegal in Texas, with the charges faced by Williams (possession of less than two ounces) being a Class B misdemeanor carrying a potential penalty of 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. These potential punishments highlight the essence of the professional sports weed paradox: what may be permissible for an athlete in their capacity as an employee is still criminal as a visitor or resident of the state of Texas.

The arrest of the Mavericks guard itself was a product of this very jurisdictional clash. The TSA agent who originally spotted the marijuana container is a federal employee. Under federal law, cannabis is still a Schedule I controlled substance, and U.S. airports are under federal jurisdiction. While TSA agents are primarily tasked with security and not drug enforcement, they have a standing policy to notify local law enforcement when illegal drugs like Williams’ “green leafy substance” are discovered. Once the police were called, Texas state law took over, and Williams was placed into custody.

Brandon Williams’ situation differs significantly from the cautionary tales of the previous generation. One needs to look no further than Ricky Williams, the former Miami Dolphins running back and 1998 Heisman Trophy winner whose career in the NFL was repeatedly derailed by punishments for positive cannabis tests. These infractions culminated in a one-year suspension for the running back, forcing him to miss the entire 2006 season. At the time of Ricky Williams’ violation, professional sports leagues were functioning under a framework that was punitive and harsh. While leagues today have moved on, the law in many places has not.

Modern athletes face a stark geographic disparity when it comes to marijuana regulation. More than 80% of teams across the four major American professional leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL) currently play in locations where recreational or medical marijuana has been legalized. Players are now able to legally purchase cannabis in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Portland, creating a confusing legal minefield for players who travel constantly.

Texas is amongst a handful of states (including Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, and Wisconsin) that are home to major professional sports teams but do not have any broad laws legalizing marijuana use. Thus, a player for the Mavericks is often governed by a set of laws that is entirely different from a player on the Sacramento Kings or Brooklyn Nets, simply based on the home address of their team.

The fallout following the arrest of Williams underscores that such situations may be the new normal for leagues around the country. The Mavericks declined to comment on the legal matter faced by their guard, instead listing Williams as “questionable” for their next game due to “personal reasons,” which was the same designation causing the guard to miss fixtures prior to his arrest becoming public. Notably, there was no league-issued suspension or team-issued condemnation reprimanding Williams for his actions. Instead, all parties involved seemed to want to resolve the situation as quickly and quietly as possible.

The incident serves as a clear warning message to other players: changes to league policy will not grant immunity from the law. The NBA’s new rules surrounding marijuana serve to protect players from their employer, not from the police. Individual athletes must now come to terms with an additional layer of personal responsibility, navigating not only the playbook of their team but also the contradictory and complex landscape of the twenty-nine-plus other cities they visit each season.

While Brandon Williams’ legal trouble is minor in the grand scheme of the criminal justice system (especially amidst headlines about FBI investigations and federal charges), it makes the perfect illustration for the awkward transition phase now faced by American marijuana policy. The world of sports has, in many ways, crossed the finish line, now viewing cannabis as an issue of personal choice or wellness rather than athletic integrity. However, until alignment between state and federal laws is reached, players will continue to be at risk of getting caught in a sticky gray area, with potential legal traps waiting at their next airport security checkpoint.

Oliver Canning is a 3L at the University of Miami School of Law. He can be followed on Twitter

(X) @OCanning and found on LinkedIn.