Deadspin: NFL trainers dole out painkillers like candy

[UOK]

http://deadspin.com/lawsuit-nfl-teams-r ... socialflow" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A federal lawsuit filed by former NFL players details allegations that teams repeatedly ignored federal drug laws while pumping players full of mind-blowing amounts of addictive opiate painkillers. The document, originally filed in February, was heavily redacted; the Washington Post revealed some of those redacted details on Thursday, and Deadspin has acquired the fully unredacted court filing from the federal court; it can be read in its entirety below. (Portions with a black background are those redacted in the filing; both parties in the suit agreed to seal this information, which emerged in the course of discovery for the lawsuit.)

---------

Very creepy read. I honestly don't think anything will come of it, though. People don't care about the players.

[IotaNet]

... Very creepy read. I honestly don't think anything will come of it, though. People don't care about the players.

This is precisely why I never, EVER get upset over players who make moves to "Get paid." Pro football is a dangerous, punishing sport and as players get bigger, stronger, and faster it's becoming even moreso. The human body was not made to do what football players do for a living.

I understand that they make a choice to be in this business but I respect their right to maximize their earning power while they have the time and ability -- and what fans (sitting comfortably on their sofas) think about their choices ought not be their primary consideration.

[Moriarty]

There's no doubting for a second that trainers do it and it has health consequences.

But
1) They aren't forcing them on the players often, if ever (at least not in a direct fashion). It's players requesting and taking them voluntarily.

2) How would the NFL exist without a flood of painkillers?
You'd have to do something really radical, like
Shorten the schedule to 10 games and put bye weeks between every game, or
Boost rosters massively and don't allow players to play in 2 consecutive weeks, except for the playoffs

And maybe those things should happen, regardless of their negative impact on fan experience.


In other words, I think maybe the bigger concern here should not be "painkillers are given freely", but "the game and schedule is so savagely and brutally punishing that it's almost impossible to play the game without lots of painkillers".

[Boris13c]

I find it interesting that this same shit was going on back in the 60's and 70's and the NFL declared a mass cleanup effort eradicated the problem

the problem never went away because the reason for the problem never went away - profits and product above all else

can't sell the product if the star components are taking games off to properly rest from injury ... so pump em up and get them back out there

and I find it utterly ridiculous now the NFL is saying they are not aware of there being a problem and working to discredit those involved in the current reporting of it

would be nice to have a healthy dose of honesty from all sides on this ... and them working on a resolution that benefits all ... but I doubt anything even remotely close to that will happen in my lifetime

[Boris13c]

In other words, I think maybe the bigger concern here should not be "painkillers are given freely", but "the game and schedule is so savagely and brutally punishing that it's almost impossible to play the game without lots of painkillers".

valid observation

eliminating these nonsense Thursday night games would be a good start ... the games are rarely watchable and the negative health effects to those having to play again on a short week seem obvious to everyone but idiot butt boy Goodell

[Moriarty]

In other words, I think maybe the bigger concern here should not be "painkillers are given freely", but "the game and schedule is so savagely and brutally punishing that it's almost impossible to play the game without lots of painkillers".

valid observation

eliminating these nonsense Thursday night games would be a good start ... the games are rarely watchable and the negative health effects to those having to play again on a short week seem obvious to everyone but idiot butt boy Goodell

Yeah, Thursday games are just obscene treatment of players.

I can't believe the league lawyers didn't get that shit shut down fast after the last round of league payouts.

[malk]

I think endemic performance enhancing drug use is making things worse now. I just don't believe that advanced training methods and nutrition can account for the size/speed increases we see now. That combined with over "protection" means that the hits are just too brutal for any body to take.

I don't think the game would lose much without those hits either. Rugby still has enough (though not as frequent) hits and isn't any less exciting. Admittedly, it'd take loads of adapting for players but you could bring it in for kids first and let it filter up.

The other problem is the combination of the salary cap with non guaranteed contracts. The players have so little leverage they need to play through injury.