Former NFL running back Ricky Williams announced this week that he is bringing his cannabis brand Highsman to the East Coast through a partnership with Phoenix-based Tilt Holdings. Under the terms of the agreement, Tilt, a vertically integrated cannabis company with a footprint in the cultivation, manufacturing, retail and accessories sectors, will carry the Highsman brand in its stores and offer its products through its wholesale channels in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Williams launched Highsman in California late last year, targeting consumers who are both
fans and cannabis enthusiasts.“Highsman is about an appreciation for greatness and the dedicated and passionate team behind this brand wants to help inspire greatness in themselves, each other and our fans,”
in an interview for Forbes when the brand was launched in November 2021.“We are flipping the script on how people view cannabis,” he added.
Tilt plans to roll out the brand in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania in September, just in time for the 2022 football season. Product lines available from the brand include Pregame, a collection of “energizing and attention-grabbing” sativas; Halftime, featuring balanced and restorative hybrid strains; and Postgame, with “restful and recovery-focused” indica varietals.
“Authenticity and unique brand architecture are two of the most important considerations for Tilt when evaluating potential brand partnerships. You would be hard-pressed to find a group more equipped to meet those criteria than Ricky and the team he has assembled at Highsman,” Gary Santo, CEO of Tilt Holdings, said in a statement from the company. “As the stigma around cannabis continues to fade within the general population, most athletes are still playing in organizations slow to allow the use of cannabis for wellness and recovery.”
“Tilt is committed to delivering a broad selection of the highest quality cannabis brands to the markets we serve, while helping independent brands expand and scale,” Santo added. “We are thrilled to bring our unique and distinctive level of partnership to the table for Highsman and introduce this exciting brand to the East Coast.”
Ricky Williams: Heisman Trophy Winner, Cannabis Lover
Williams was a star college football running back at the University of Texas, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998. He was drafted into the NFL by the New Orleans Saints in 1999, later playing for the Miami Dolphins. He made national news in 2004 when he announced his retirement from the league after failing several drug tests because of cannabis use. He then played a season in the Canadian Football League before returning to the Dolphins 2007. After joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, Williams retired permanently from the NFL in 2012.
Highsman is the latest addition to the Tilt Holdings family of cannabis brands and the first to be focused on sports enthusiasts. The Tilt portfolio includes companies with expertise in cannabis technology, hardware, cultivation and production, servicing brands and licensed retailers across 37 states in the U.S., as well as Canada, Israel, South America and the European Union.
Tilt’s core businesses include vaporizer hardware manufacturer Jupiter Research LLC, the cannabis retailers Commonwealth Alternative Care Inc. in Massachusetts and Standard Farms in Pennsylvania and Ohio. The company also has a partnership with the Shinnecock Indian Nation in New York to build and operate cannabis production and retail facilities on the tribe’s traditional land on Long Island.
“2022 marks a year of considerable growth for Highsman, and we are proud to partner with TILT as we enter our first East Coast markets,” said Highsman CEO Eric Hammond. “TILT has a proven track record of significantly expanding the footprint of the cannabis brands they work with, and I am confident that our strategic partnership will further establish Highsman as a leading national brand. Highsman was created to inspire greatness in athletes and sports enthusiasts alike, and we are thrilled to introduce our products to the people of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania— two states that take their sports, and cannabis, very seriously.”