Surprise! It’s the DEA.
Concerned about possibly illegal distribution and usage of painkillers across the NFL, the Drug Enforcement Agency paid an unannounced visit to many visiting teams’ training and medical staffs today. This type of action has never been taken before, and reflects a very serious (and legitimate) concern about how teams are possibly enabling drug abuse by players.
DEA spokesman Rusty Kayne said:
“DEA agents are currently interviewing NFL team doctors in several locations as part of an ongoing investigation into potential violations of the Controlled Substances Act. The Drug Enforcement Administration has a responsibility under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure that registrants who possess, prescribe and dispense controlled substances are following the law.”
This all stems back to a May 2014 lawsuit filed against the NFL by several players that alleges team training staffs gave them high levels of painkillers in order to keep them on the field. A source told ESPN that “Our intelligence suggests controlled substances are not properly logged to specific players,” which probably doesn’t come as much of a shock to anyone.
Whether these inspections lead to any meaningful action remains to be seen, but the NFL can ill-afford the PR disaster of having several of their teams found to be in violation of federal law.
[via ESPN]
