NFL takes notice as union develops pain management committee involving marijuana

In January, former quarterback Jake Plummer sat side by side with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at Sports Authority Field in Denver to watch the Broncos defeat the Steelers in a divisional playoff game. The meeting was informal, with the real talking points — the ones that would be raised in the months ahead — put aside.

But only temporarily.

Plummer and many other active and retired players were in the beginning stages of building a campaign and raising money to spread awareness of…