NFL teams being investigated by the DEA for prescription drug abuse

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > NFL teams being investigated by the DEA for prescription drug abuse

Cash Monet: Apr 5, 2009

So, um

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...33ef_story.html

quote:

Federal drug agents conducted surprise inspections of National Football League team medical staffs on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into prescription drug abuse in the league. The inspections, which entailed bag searches and questioning of team doctors by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration, were based on the suspicion that NFL teams dispense drugs illegally to keep players on the field in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, according to a senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation.

The medical staffs were part of travel parties whose teams were playing at stadiums across the country. They included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, and the San Francisco 49ers, who played the New York Giants in New Jersey. DEA officials were expected to inspect six teams in all on Sunday.

The DEA had reason to look at those teams in particular, but the investigation is not restricted to them, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is ongoing. The official said the investigation focuses on practices across the 32-team league, including possible distribution of drugs without prescriptions or labels, and the dispensing of drugs by trainers rather than physicians.

Federal law prohibits anyone but a physician or nurse practioner from distributing prescription drugs, and they must meet myriad regulations for acquiring, storing, labeling and transporting them. It is also illegal for a physican to distribute prescription drugs outside of his geographic area of practice. And it is illegal for trainers to dispense, or even handle, controlled substances in any way.

Agents began �interviewing NFL physicians in several locations,� Payne said, after reviewing material contained in the lawsuit. Players described being given unlabeled medications in hazardous combinations, teams filling out prescriptions in players� names without their knowledge, trainers passing out pills in hotels or locker rooms, and medications handed out on team planes after games while alcohol was consumed.

�The DEA has a responsibility under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure that registrants who possess, prescribe and dispense control substances are following the law,� Payne said. He characterized the DEA actions on Sunday as �administrative� in nature, aimed at discerning whether NFL medical staffs adhere to federal regulations governing the dispensing of controlled substances across state lines. He would not speculate on any future action the DEA might take based on what it found. Penalties can range from suspension or revocation of licenses, civil fines or prosecution.

The DEA has disciplined individual NFL physicians and teams on prior occasions. In 2010, the DEA raided the offices of the San Diego Chargers after safety Kevin Ellison was found with 100 Vicodin pills during a traffic stop, and discovered that the team�s then-doctor David Chao wrote more than 100 prescriptions to himself. Last year the New Orleans Saints agreed to a fine for failing to properly store, control and dispense medication, based on a 2010 incident in which security tapes showed a coach stealing Vicodin from a cabinet by the handfuls, and a team official suggesting records be altered to cover it up. Asked to comment on those DEA cases last year, NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash said, �The whole issue of pain meds is a big, important issue in our society well outside the NFL . . . it is something our doctors are looking at.�

Those with knowledge of the case said the DEA is working with the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and met with investigators from that office recently.

Oh boy.

Cash Monet fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Nov 17, 2014

# ? Nov 17, 2014 00:31

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# ? May 5, 2024 21:15

Detroit_Dogg: Feb 2, 2008; Aaron Rodgers is gay and lame and oh please cum in me Aaron PLEASE I NEED IT OH STAFFORD YOUR COCK IS NOT WORTHY ONLY THE GAYEST RODGERS PRICK CAN SATISFY MY DESPERATE THROAT

I hope Sean Payton gets in trouble for being a pill junkie.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 00:35

Chichevache: Feb 17, 2010; One of the funniest posters in GIP.

Just not intentionally.

Good. The less they drug players the less they can play. Hopefully this leads to expanded rosters and a longer season with multiple bye weeks.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 00:37

gohuskies: Oct 23, 2010; I spend a lot of time making posts to justify why I'm not a self centered shithead that just wants to act like COVID isn't a thing.

Seahawks have confirmed to local reporters that they were also visited by the DEA today

# ? Nov 17, 2014 01:59

Vincent Van Goatse: Nov 8, 2006; Enjoy every sandwich.; Smellrose

gohuskies posted:

Seahawks have confirmed to local reporters that they were also visited by the DEA today

Good. If we're going down for this poo poo, then you're drat well coming with us.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 02:01

Suspect Bucket: Jan 15, 2012; SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR

The Jags will never get busted for this because players are constantly surrounded by a cloud of someones pill dealer cousins, handing out a rainbow of meds. The PTs dont even have to keep asprin on hand.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 02:37

swickles: Aug 21, 2006; I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just some QB that I used to know

What happens from here on out depends entirely on how well the physicians document. Good documentation will save your rear end in so many ways. I have a feeling this will be an overall good thing because the script monkeys who do nothing but get players on the field regardless of consequences are one of the biggest problems in the NFL. Assuming Ehud stops hating me, I should actually have a FART piece on why independent physicians (not paid by the team, but by the league in a manner similar to refs) is perhaps the single most important step towards making the game safer.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 02:39

wheez the roux: Aug 2, 2004; THEY SHOULD'VE GIVEN IT TO LYNCH

Death to the Seahawks. Death to Seahawks posters.

All the tell-all accounts you hear from old players (especially in Slow Getting Up and all of Favre's stories), NFL locker rooms are full of dudes popping absolutely insane amounts of opiates and amphetamines and it's all handed out like loving candy, no questions asked. Team doctors just write absurdly open-ended scripts for all kinds of major narcotics and shitloads of players are absolutely dependent on them. If this is taken as seriously as it seems, there's no way this doesn't become a huge loving deal.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 06:03

Eifert Posting: Apr 1, 2007; Most of the time he catches it every time.; Grimey Drawer

Yeah but it's not pot.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 06:07

Eifert Posting: Apr 1, 2007; Most of the time he catches it every time.; Grimey Drawer

swickles posted:

I should actually have a FART piece on why independent physicians (not paid by the team, but by the league in a manner similar to refs) is perhaps the single most important step towards making the game safer.

Things that will never, ever be agreed to for 300$

Edit: Sorry, thought I hit edit.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 06:08

MJBuddy: Sep 22, 2008; Now I do not know whether I was then a head coach dreaming I was a Saints fan, or whether I am now a Saints fan, dreaming I am a head coach.

Detroit_Dogg posted:

I hope Sean Payton gets in trouble for being a pill junkie.

Who cares what Payton takes?

I barely care what players take.

wheez the roux posted:

All the tell-all accounts you hear from old players (especially in Slow Getting Up and all of Favre's stories), NFL locker rooms are full of dudes popping absolutely insane amounts of opiates and amphetamines and it's all handed out like loving candy, no questions asked. Team doctors just write absurdly open-ended scripts for all kinds of major narcotics and shitloads of players are absolutely dependent on them. If this is taken as seriously as it seems, there's no way this doesn't become a huge loving deal.

Seriously if you get yourself an ADHD diagnosis, you've got open access to crazy levels of amphetamines with no problem. And for guys who get tested, just having the ADHD exception (all of Seahawks, apparently?) means you can take as much amph as you want unless they're doing crazy level of testing; and if they aren't, the poo poo's out of your system in meaningful amounts in like 2 days.

MJBuddy fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Nov 17, 2014

# ? Nov 17, 2014 06:12

wheez the roux: Aug 2, 2004; THEY SHOULD'VE GIVEN IT TO LYNCH

Death to the Seahawks. Death to Seahawks posters.

Eifert Posting posted:

Yeah but it's not pot.

say NO to the death weed "hemp". toking claims lives every day. no one has ever died from taking pills their doctor prescribes them. these urban THUGS just can't control themselves and it needs to stop. KICK THE TOKERS OUT OF THE NFL ALREADY!!!

# ? Nov 17, 2014 06:44

Ostentatious: Sep 29, 2010

I'm calling it hempdank from now on

# ? Nov 17, 2014 07:16

Elephanthead: Sep 11, 2008; Toilet Rascal

I can't tell you the number of times high kids have violently attacked my ability to get a correct order at a counter order restaurant by being too high to work the register.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 07:44

Sash!: Mar 16, 2001

To be fair, a lot of the culture surrounding it is pretty lame.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 07:46

MJBuddy: Sep 22, 2008; Now I do not know whether I was then a head coach dreaming I was a Saints fan, or whether I am now a Saints fan, dreaming I am a head coach.

Elephanthead posted:

I can't tell you the number of times high kids have violently attacked my ability to get a correct order at a counter order restaurant by being too high to work the register.

Can you not tell us because you're high right now?

That's right. We're on to you. Let the paranoia sink in.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 08:14

wheez the roux: Aug 2, 2004; THEY SHOULD'VE GIVEN IT TO LYNCH

Death to the Seahawks. Death to Seahawks posters.

Sash! posted:

To be fair, a lot of the culture surrounding it is pretty lame.

coming from you that's a complement, gramps :birddrugs:

# ? Nov 17, 2014 09:05

Detroit_Dogg: Feb 2, 2008; Aaron Rodgers is gay and lame and oh please cum in me Aaron PLEASE I NEED IT OH STAFFORD YOUR COCK IS NOT WORTHY ONLY THE GAYEST RODGERS PRICK CAN SATISFY MY DESPERATE THROAT

Pain pills are cool as all heck while weed is mega lame and really hard to put through a nasal cavity.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 14:12

b0ng: Jan 16, 2004; Thats a nice Game 7 you have there. Would be a shame if somebody nailed it down.

Suspect Bucket posted:

The Jags will never get busted for this because players are constantly surrounded by a cloud of someones pill dealer cousins, handing out a rainbow of meds. The PTs dont even have to keep asprin on hand.

Is this a new Jaguars fan?

Also, these guy's livers are going to be dogshit a few years after retirement if they are drinking and popping lots of pills with acetaminophen.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 14:58

Anals of History: Jul 29, 2003

The amount of "all the problems we have and THIS is what they focus on?" is blowing my mind, like Obama himself is yanking the Torodol needle from someone's rear end. This is what the DEA is supposed to do. More people should be mad that the DEA didn't show up a couple of decades earlier.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 15:13

ZenVulgarity: Oct 9, 2012; I made the hat by transforming my zen

weed makes people violent???

# ? Nov 17, 2014 15:39

Fhqwhgads: Jul 18, 2003; I AM THE ONLY ONE IN THIS GAME WHO GETS LAID

swickles posted:

Assuming Ehud stops hating me, I should actually have a FART piece on why independent physicians (not paid by the team, but by the league in a manner similar to refs) is perhaps the single most important step towards making the game safer.

I thought the NFL would have an interest in keeping their star players on the field longer, regardless of team, so having the League pay for physicians would be as terrible an idea as having the teams pay physicians. Independent third party, maybe? M�decins Sans Football�s?

# ? Nov 17, 2014 15:44

ZenVulgarity: Oct 9, 2012; I made the hat by transforming my zen

swickles posted:

What happens from here on out depends entirely on how well the physicians document. Good documentation will save your rear end in so many ways. I have a feeling this will be an overall good thing because the script monkeys who do nothing but get players on the field regardless of consequences are one of the biggest problems in the NFL. Assuming Ehud stops hating me, I should actually have a FART piece on why independent physicians (not paid by the team, but by the league in a manner similar to refs) is perhaps the single most important step towards making the game safer.

You wanna tag-team on why legally that makes a lot of sense too?

# ? Nov 17, 2014 15:46

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# ? May 5, 2024 21:15

DJExile: Jun 28, 2007

swickles posted:

Assuming Ehud stops hating me, I should actually have a FART piece on why independent physicians (not paid by the team, but by the league in a manner similar to refs) is perhaps the single most important step towards making the game safer.

If he doesn't, please post it here but that would be really neat to read from your perspective.

# ? Nov 17, 2014 15:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > NFL teams being investigated by the DEA for prescription drug abuse