Boxing legend Mike Tyson stepped into the spotlight recently with an impassioned television appearance, delivering a heartfelt message to President Donald Trump about the urgent need for reform across America in a controversial but increasingly normalized area.
Speaking on Fox & Friends, the former heavyweight champion made his case as part of a star-studded coalition that includes NBA stars Kevin Durant and Allen Iverson, boxer Roy Jones Jr., and former NFL players Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, and Ricky Williams. The group, known as the Coalition of Athletes and Entertainers Supporting President Trump’s Policy Objectives, has united behind a cause that Tyson describes as deeply personal.
Tyson explained during his television appearance:
“This is something they wanted to do for so many years, but didn’t know how to go about doing it. And I was just blessed enough to have the perfect team for this genre of sports… medicine.”
The timing of Tyson’s plea comes as America finds itself caught in a complex web of conflicting laws around a plant-based compound. While 25 states have embraced full legalization for both recreational and medicinal use, and an additional 13 permit medical use only, the federal government continues to treat it as a top-tier controlled [category]—placing it in the same category as some serious dr*gs.
Tyson finds this classification not just outdated, but insulting to common sense.
“It has been labeled a [Schedule I] n*rc*tic and that’s in the same category as cr**k and he**in. And we all know whoever [experimented] with it before, know that’s not true and that’s just ridiculous,”
he stated emphatically.
The coalition’s efforts go beyond mere access. They’re partnering with The Weldon Project, an organization aimed at funding social change and providing financial relief for individuals still serving long prison terms tied to outdated policies.
“We’re also working on clemency because there’s people that are still in prison, been in there for 15 years, got [an] enormous amount of time and ridiculous sentences… Can you believe [it]? The rest of your life’s gonna be spent in prison because of a plant,”
Tyson told the morning show hosts.
The coalition’s formal appeal to President Trump came through an open letter signed by the athletic and entertainment luminaries, including streamer Adin Ross and rapper Lil Pump. The document pulls no punches in describing the current situation as both “cruel” and “absurd.”
The group also called out former President Biden, stating:
“After making sweeping promises to voters in 2020, former President Biden failed to deliver on his pledge to address marij***a-related injustices. Not only did he leave office without commuting the sentences of those incarcerated for mari***na, but in one of his final acts, he denied nearly every pending… clemency application.”
Beyond the moral arguments, the coalition presents compelling economic data. State-legal industries around this plant currently employ over 450,000 Americans and generate more than $35 billion annually, yet face significant banking restrictions and tax penalties that can push effective rates above 85 percent.
The coalition’s proposal centers on reclassifying the plant from Schedule I to Schedule III status, which would acknowledge its medical applications while recognizing a far lower potential for misuse and dependence. This reclassification would bring federal policy in line with what’s already happening across most of the country.
For Tyson personally, this isn’t just about lobbying politicians. It’s about recognition of a reality he and many others quietly live with.
“I’m just so happy to be a part of this and be a part with other athletes, not knowing that they were really with this whole situation in making [it] legal. I never knew other athletes wanted that as well,”
Tyson shared, reflecting on the solidarity he’s discovered.
The coalition’s push comes at a strategic moment, with Trump entering his new term and revisiting criminal justice reform. They’re positioning this policy shift as an extension of those broader promises—one rooted in economics, equity, and long-overdue common sense.
