NFL players sue league for allegedly drugging up players with dangerous painkiller drugs in order to conceal concussions

Friday, December 23, 2011 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: NFL, painkillers, drug abuse

(NaturalNews) With all the controversy surrounding the willful use of steroids and other illicit, performance-enhancing drugs by some professional sports players, it might come as a surprise to some readers to learn that professional sports leagues themselves may also be responsible for illicitly dishing out dangerous pharmaceutical drugs to players before games in order to conceal deadly injuries.

At least 12 former football players in the NFL have filed a lawsuit against the league for what they say is an irresponsible and highly-dangerous concussion policy. The plaintiffs allege that, before games, athletic trainers and medical staff administered injections of Toradol, a high-risk, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), to all players, regardless of their individual health conditions, in order to make them feel good for games.

It is fairly common for professional sports players to sustain concussions every now and again after undergoing big hits, and athletic trainers and medical staff are trained to respond quickly with appropriate treatments following an injury. But the NFL's alleged overuse of Toradol for all players put many of them at risk, particularly those who unknowingly may have had concussions or other serious injuries.

"The difference with this case is what we've learned from our players is that they used to administer a drug called Toradol, which is basically a painkiller, even when players didn't have symptoms," said attorney Christopher Seeger, who reportedly filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs in a federal court in New Jersey. "Our experts say that's the worst thing you can do for a brain injury or concussion."

The NFL allegedly administered Toradol, despite its known risks, in order to cover up the symptoms of concussions, and thus cover up the very existence of concussions. Players suffering from head injuries, in other words, may have been unaware of the severity of their injuries thanks to the painkilling effects of Toradol. Taking the drug not only put them at high risk of further injury from it side effects, but also from sustaining more injuries on the field.

"Countless players were injected whether or not they were injured," says attorney Marc Albert, who is also representing the plaintiffs. "It was part of the routine. It would dull pain so players would feel good during the game. This is going on in every locker room. Football is a tough sport, but we're not talking about torn ligaments. These are life consequences. These are brain injuries."

Sources for this article include:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-nfl...

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/12/f...