slats Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 EXCLUSIVE: Feds quietly investigating prescription drug abuse in NFL locker rooms, sources say The Drug Enforcement Administration’s probe began after attorneys representing about 1,300 NFL retirees filed a lawsuit accusing the league of illegally handing out painkillers, sleeping pills and other drugs without informing players of the risks of health problems and addiction. BY MICHAEL O’KEEFFE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, July 12, 2014, 9:59 PM A A A Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and other plaintiffs accuse the NFL of illegally providing prescription drugs without telling players about the risks. McMahon says he became hooked on pain pills, at one point gulping down more than 100 Percocets each month. The NFL, still reeling from allegations that it covered up the long-term dangers of concussions, is now facing a possible blitz from federal drug agents looking into the abuse of painkillers and other drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration has quietly launched an investigation into the abuse of prescription medication in NFL locker rooms, three sources familiar with the probe told the Daily News. Agents from the DEA’s New York division are reaching out to former players to learn how NFL doctors and trainers get access to potent narcotics such as Percodan and Vicodin or anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, a nonaddictive prescription drug widely used around the league to treat pain. “They want to find out who provided and distributed the drugs to football players,” one source said. The DEA’s investigation began shortly after attorneys representing about 1,300 NFL retirees filed a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on May 20 that accuses the league of illegally providing prescription drugs to keep players on the field without informing them of the long-term risks. The nine named plaintiffs include Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon and his former teammate, Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent, as well as Pro Bowl defensive end Marcellus Wiley, now an ESPN analyst. Percodan, a combination of oxycodone and aspirin used to treat pain and inflammation, and other potent narcotics were frequently distributed in NFL locker rooms, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of about 1,300 NFL retirees. “The allegations in our lawsuit, that the NFL has violated state and federal drug laws, have been confirmed by over 1,300 former NFL players,” Steve Silverman, an attorney for the former players, told The News on Friday. “We are pleased to learn that the DEA and United States Department of Justice are also taking our clients’ allegations seriously and are actively protecting the welfare of NFL players.” The drugs numbed pain, allowing hurt players to return to the field, but they also led to aggravated injuries and created long-term health problems, the lawsuit claims. The suit filed by Silverman and his colleagues is a catalogue of horrors. Court papers show team doctors and trainers widely distributed painkillers, sleeping pills and other drugs without warning players about the risk of addiction or the dangers of mixing powerful medications. McMahon, according to the lawsuit, became hooked on pain pills, at one point gulping down more than 100 Percocets each month, even in the offseason. The drugs numbed pain, allowing hurt players to return to the field, but they also led to aggravated injuries and created long-term health problems, the lawsuit claims. Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent says he played eight games with a broken foot while taking medication to numb the pain, and now he suffers from nerve damage. Keith Van Horne, another McMahon teammate on the Bears’ 1985 Super Bowl championship team, played an entire season with a broken leg, thanks to what the lawsuit calls “a constant diet of pills to deal with the pain.” Dent suffers from permanent nerve damage because he played eight games of a season with a broken foot, thanks to painkillers, rather than undergoing surgery. The lawsuit said ex-49ers center Jeremy Newberry suffers from serious kidney failure, high blood pressure and violent headaches as the result of the drugs he received while playing in the NFL. “One former trainer has described the 1980s and 1990s as ‘wild west’ in terms of the NFL monitoring the medications provided to its players,” the suit said. The allegations in the lawsuit echo earlier reports about prescription drug abuse by The News and other media outlets. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Randy Grimes, for example, told The News in a 2009 story chronicling his successful effort to overcome his painkiller addiction that doctors passed out medication freely, and that players routinely broke into the team drug cabinet to help themselves. “We’d take handfuls of stuff out of there,” Grimes said. “There was no accountability.” Ex-Jets quarterback Ray Lucas, meanwhile, told The News in 2010 that he turned to street drugs after the NFL to deal with pain from football-related injuries in his neck and back. He said he developed an extraordinarily high tolerance for pain medication due to the amount of drugs he used during his NFL career. Keith Van Horne of the Chicago Bears says he played a whole season with a broken leg, thanks to what the lawsuit calls 'a constant diet of pills to deal with the pain.' The DEA investigation is good news for the players involved in the suit because the feds may uncover evidence unavailable to lawyers pursuing a civil suit, says Robert Boland, a former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and sports agent. He’s now the academic chairman of New York University’s Tisch Center for Sports Management. The NFL declined to comment on the DEA investigation. A spokesman for the Players Association did not respond to an email about the federal inquiry. A DEA spokeswoman, Erin Mulvey, said she was not aware of an investigation into prescription drug abuse in NFL locker rooms. Speaking generally, she said the DEA is involved in efforts to reduce painkiller abuse because officials believe it has contributed to an increase in heroin use, she said. Allegations of rampant locker-room prescription drug abuse are part of a broader battle over players’ long-term health. A federal judge in Philadelphia gave preliminary approval last week to a settlement that would remove a cap on compensation for players who suffered concussions and other traumatic brain injuries. Also, NFL retirees have long complained that the disability program the league operates jointly with the Players Association seems designed to reject claims by players physically debilitated by football-related injuries. The NFL, many former players argue, has turned its back on the men who helped turn it into a $9 billion-a-year industry. “Drug addiction is part of a list of issues players struggle with as they make the transition to retirement,” Boland said. Boland said that while there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests team officials and medical staff encouraged players to abuse prescription drugs, it will be difficult to prove that league officials played a role. “I don’t think the NFL loves the fact that there is a drug investigation,” Boland said. “But in the end, the NFL may be able to successfully say this is a club matter.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klecko73isGod Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 They're about a decade or three late and a few billion dollars short on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RutgersJetFan Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 The drugs numbed pain, allowing hurt players to return to the field, but they also led to aggravated injuries and created long-term health problems, the lawsuit claims I'll tell you what else they lead to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugg Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 They're about a decade or three late and a few billion dollars short on this one.Have no doubt this used to take place. And it may still; but doubt it's in the trainers' room any more. Given the last decade Oxy Pill Festival that America has become find it more likely Goodell has either pushed this into the background or off campus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kay_gee Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 They're about a decade or three late and a few billion dollars short on this one. probably but I don't see how they don't investigate it now for any number of reasons. pain killers are serious business. in the northeast they're blaming a heroin comeback on addiction to painkillers (which are more expensive and harder to get). I think they HAVE to look into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Have no doubt this used to take place. And it may still; but doubt it's in the trainers' room any more. Given the last decade Oxy Pill Festival that America has become find it more likely Goodell has either pushed this into the background or off campus. When it comes to getting a player back on the field on gameday, it would have to come from the locker room. I'm sure they all try to stay ahead of the rules, but they have to be doing something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirlancemehlot Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Part of the whole opiate revolution occurring unfortunately. Heroin is roaring back to prevalence now due to the pills becoming more closely regulated and therefore more expensive on the black market. Where a single pill can cost $25 or more, a glassine of heroin is as cheap as four bucks in Paterson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetsFanInDenver Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Title should read DEA finally wakes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slats Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Part of the whole opiate revolution occurring unfortunately. Heroin is roaring back to prevalence now due to the pills becoming more closely regulated and therefore more expensive on the black market. Where a single pill can cost $25 or more, a glassine of heroin is as cheap as four bucks in Paterson. Good to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larz Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 we're 10 years away from full on flag football Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
use2Jet Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 we're 10 years away from full on flag football Then Rex can change his mantra to : You take one of our flags , we will take two of yours. But never even take one retaliatory flag, cuz all talk n stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Then Rex can change his mantra to : You take one of our flags , we will take two of yours. But never even take one retaliatory flag, cuz all talk n stuff Do we really have a no personal attacks policy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
use2Jet Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Do we really have a no personal attacks policy? I'm pretty sure u can attack me, everyone else does it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I'm pretty sure u can attack me, everyone else does it Apparently they are not doing a good enough job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
use2Jet Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Apparently they are not doing a good enough job. I know right? The mods should be banning these guys for the personal attacks on me right? I don't think that not liking Rex is ground for personal attacks at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor99 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Then Rex can change his mantra to : You take one of our flags , we will take two of yours. But never even take one retaliatory flag, cuz all talk n stuff Just stop it. I'm asking nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#27TheDominator Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Just stop it. I'm asking nicely. The Mighty Hammer of Thorsten Howell, III? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadwayJoe12 Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Part of the whole opiate revolution occurring unfortunately. Heroin is roaring back to prevalence now due to the pills becoming more closely regulated and therefore more expensive on the black market. Where a single pill can cost $25 or more, a glassine of heroin is as cheap as four bucks in Paterson. Bingo. I've seen it so bad to the point where one college student saw his roommate OD and proceeded to OD and pass away the following weekend...on the same batch his roommate used. I mean, Jesus. It's really unfortunate: Vermont is scary bad at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebag Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 pretty sure there's some posters on this board who are on drugs - you know who you are - dopers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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