NFL teams "violated federal laws governing prescription drugs, disregarded guidance from the Drug Enforcement Administration on how to store, track, transport and distribute controlled substances, and plied their players with powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories each season," according to documents cited in a front-page piece by Rick Maese of the WASHINGTON POST. Sealed court documents contained in a federal lawsuit filed by former players provide a "rare look into the league’s relationship with drugs and how team doctors manage the pain inherent in a bruising sport to keep players on the field." The sealed court filing describes "multiple instances in which team and league officials were made aware of abuses, record-keeping problems and even violations of federal law and were either slow in responding or failed to comply." The filing states that Steelers team doctor and former NFL Physicians Society President Anthony Yates "testified in a deposition that 'a majority of clubs as of 2010 had trainers controlling and handling prescription medications and controlled substances when they should not have.'" At times, team medical staff "displayed a cavalier attitude toward federal guidelines that govern dispensing medicine." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said the allegations contained in the court filing "are meritless and the league and its clubs will continue to vigorously defend these claims." The details and communications were "unearthed by lawyers representing more than 1,800 former professional football players who are suing the league in U.S. District Court in northern California." The case "isn’t scheduled for trial until October." The players’ attorneys said in their filing they already have compiled "hundreds of thousands of pages of documents." The complaint "recounts specific allegations against each of the 32 teams and details the widespread mishandling and disbursement of medications." One drug in particular, Toradol, is "highlighted throughout the lawsuit as a staple" for NFL teams (WASHINGTON POST, 3/10).
