[Villages PL]

Daily Sun heading (May 21): "Former players claim in lawsuit that NFL used risky painkillers"

They claim to have developed serious complications as they got older because of powerful painkillers and other drugs that kept them playing despite their injuries.

They claim they were given these drugs without prescriptions and without warning of possible side effects - pills for broken bones that they didn't know about, and pills instead of surgery.

The lawsuit claims the players developed the following: Ailments involving heart, lung, nerve damage; kidney failure; and chronic injuries to muscles, ligaments and bones.

The knee-jerk reaction (by radio talk-show hosts) is to blame the players by saying, "they knew what they were doing - it was their decision - no one put a gun to their head."

But I say: Their knowledge of possible long term health consequences could not have been on the same level as the team doctors and trainers. If the players should have known better, then the doctors, trainers and NFL should have known better too. Under pressure to keep playing, the players made wrong decisions and the NFL made a decission to let it happen.

A responsible doctor, in my opinion, would have said: "If you want this powerful painkiller, you will forfit your right to play until such time as your injury is healed. Sign here stating you will not play. No signiture, no painkiller."

[Chi-Town]

Watch North Dallas Forty from 1979 and think how little has changed.

[Taltarzac725]

NFL Concussion Litigation

That is an interesting site above. Where else is an NFL player supposed to play professional football in the US other than the NFL? I would expect that the safety level of other countries which play football is on par to the NFL? What's the CFL reputation for safety? http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...ffects-players

[redwitch]

I ran track all through high school and college. Giving us steroids to prevent shin splints was common. We were never told about the potential side effects. I know of several runners my age now suffering from liver disease. Glad I was the stubborn type and took very little medication even back then.

Reality is that athletes are told to take several different drugs for different issues. They are rarely told of potential side effects. Just take 'em and you'll feel better and be able to do your job. The athlete as a human is irrelevant so long as the team wins.