by Ben Nuckols
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - A group of retired NFL players says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the league, thirsty for profits, illegally supplied them with risky narcotics and other painkillers that numbed their injuries for games and led to medical complications down the road.
The league obtained and administered the drugs illegally, without prescriptions and without warning players of their potential side effects, to speed the return of injured players to the field and maximize profits, the lawsuit alleges. Players say they were never told about broken legs and ankles and instead were fed pills to mask the pain. One says that instead of surgery, he was given anti-inflammatories and skipped practices so he could play in money-making games. And others say that after years of free pills from the NFL, they retired from the league addicted to the painkillers.
Steven Silverman, attorney for the players, said the complaint was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, and a copy was shared with The Associated Press ahead of the filing.
The complaint names eight players, including three members of the Super Bowl champion 1985 Chicago Bears: Hall of Fame defensive end Richard Dent, offensive lineman Keith Van Horne, and quarterback Jim McMahon. Lawyers seek class-action status, and they say in the filing that more than 400 other former players have signed
Do NFL doctors have a conflict of interest in serving the interests of the teams and the players? How do you view this case in light of the settlement over concussions? What will be the reaction from the NFL? Will this go to a trial? How do other professional sports handle serious injuries suffered by athletes?on to the lawsuit.
Guest:
Sam Farmer, NFL columnist for the Los Angeles Times
Howard Wasserman, writer for Sports Law Blog, Law Professor, Florida International University
David Orentlicher, Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law; Co-director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law