Former Players File Class Action on NFL's "Culture of Drug Misuse"
Jeremy Newberry, Richard
Dent, Jim McMahon and Roy Green have filed a class-action lawsuit against the
National Football League on behalf of hundreds former players.
Here is a link to the full court document: Newberry vs. NFL
According to the lawsuit, "the NFL has intentionally, recklessly, and negligently developed a culture of drug misuse, substituting players' health for profit."
The players allege that there was rampant misuse of pain-killing medications that led to debilitating injuries and long-term health problems. They claim that they were given pills and injections without a doctor's prescription - or an explanation of the side effects and that it was all done to keep players on the field and help turn the NFL into a billion-dollar empire.
The lawsuit alleges that "The NFL directly and indirectly supplied players with and encouraged players to use opioids to manage pain before, during and after games in a manner the NFL knew or should have known constituted a misuse of the medications and violated Federal drug laws."
Although the pain medication Toradol is mentioned frequently in the lawsuit as the drug of choice, medications have changed over the course of the past five decades.
During my 6 years in the NFL, I was regularly given Indocin – an anti-inflammatory drug - and on several occasions, injections of Lidocaine right before a game. Lidocaine is generally used as a local anesthetic for minor surgery and is injected to numb the surrounding area. In my case it was used for my left knee and my ankles.
The lawsuit also claims that "Amphetamines, which at one time were left out in bowls in locker rooms, are not used as frequently now".
This language in the lawsuit brought back some memories: "NFL doctors travel with their teams and know that players are being provided with such medications along with alcohol that the NFL provides on plane trips back from games."
I have to admit, the Darvon and Darvocet that was being peddled around the plane did make the trip fly by a lot faster. Those drugs were banned by the FDA in 2009.
Through this new lawsuit, former players are seeking financial compensation for the long-term chronic injuries, financial losses and long-term health care for future problems they will suffer.
Here is a link to an excellent article about the lawsuit:Ex-49er leads mass suit against NFL for drug misuse.
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