SURPRISE! DEA pays visit to NFL teams

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According to John Barr of ESPN.com “agents for the DEA conducted a surprise inspection Sunday, targeting the medical and training staffs of visiting NFL teams.” This visit is part of a lawsuit filed last May by players who are alleging that doctors are masking their injuries with drugs and various painkillers to keep them on the field. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a responsibility under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure that registrants who possess, prescribe and dispense controlled substances are following the law.

In the lawsuit players talked about the fact that they were given painkillers, so DEA agents went to several visiting locker rooms looking for that, because there was some concerns and questions on how this medication was being brought across state lines. At least two teams’ medical staffs were questioned Sunday: those of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who played the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field, and the San Francisco 49ers, who played the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

DEA spokesman Rusty Payne confirmed that DEA personnel were questioning NFL medical personnel Sunday after the conclusion of games. He declined to reveal specifics of the investigation but said, “DEA agents are currently interviewing NFL team doctors in several locations as part of an ongoing investigation into potential violations of the Controlled Substance Act.”

Per the Post report, agents started interviewing NFL physicians in several locations after reviewing materials from the lawsuit. Players reportedly described reckless behavior from team doctors — being given unlabeled medications, combining medications dangerously, teams filling out prescriptions erroneously or deceptively, trainers administering drugs, and medications handed out to players who had consumed alcohol as well.

The civil suit by former NFL players was filed in a federal court in Northern California in May of 2013, It is claimed by a class of 1,300 former NFL players that the league “intentionally, recklessly and negligently” created a culture of drug misuse through its widespread distribution of painkillers and prescription drugs. While the investigation has been going on quietly for months, Sunday marks the first time agents were actively pursuing information on-site at NFL games.