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Report: Former Ravens lineman Eugene Monroe to retire

David Banks / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Free-agent offensive tackle Eugene Monroe is planning to retire from the NFL, ESPN's Josina Anderson reports.

Related: Monroe announces reasons for retirement on The Players' Tribune

Monroe was released by the Baltimore Ravens earlier this offseason. Prior to his release, he spoke publicly about his desire for the NFL to change its stance on medical marijuana and to explore the drug's possible benefits for players.

Monroe said in June he'd been in discussions with a few teams. The 29-year-old has battled injuries in recent seasons, appearing in only six games in 2015 and 11 the previous season for the Ravens, so durability concerns may have turned potential suitors off.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Monroe's release was purely a football decision and not related to his stance on marijuana, but it's impossible not to wonder if teams are scared off by Monroe's beliefs, which run counter to the NFL's hard-line stance on drug use.

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