Greg interviews Rick Maese, a sports features writer for The Washington Post. The Washington Post has had an interest in football and the health and safety issues within the sport for many years. In a recent article about the National Football League’s (NFL) abuse of painkillers, Rick did extensive reporting and research on NFL team doctors. In the article, published on March 9, 2017, he discusses what he found about the prescription of opioids to keep players on the field.
Greg asks Rick to expand on his findings within sealed court documents in a federal lawsuit by former NFL players. Rick begins by discussing how a glitch in filing secret information allowed him to see “under the hood” of NFL practices. He shares what the documents revealed, specifically citing teams taking opioids on the road and overprescribing pain killers to players. He goes on to discuss what the concerning amount given to players really means. “The [high dose of pain killers] illustrates that there is pain involved in the National Football League,” says Rick. “The pain that they receive from those heavy hits lingers…It doesn’t just linger that day, or Monday when they wake up. It lingers years after they leave the game.”
Listen to the podcast to discover how the NFL is trying minimize the pain on the field and utilize alternative treatments.
- NFL abuse of painkillers and other drugs described in court filings
- House lawmakers question NFL on drug practices
- NFL medical standards, practices are different than almost anywhere else
- NFL player safety: NFLPA survey says nearly four in five are not satisfied at all with team medical staffs
- Pain and pain management in NFL spawn a culture of prescription drug use and abuse
Leave A Comment