[planetdoc]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/fo...ors_picks=true
(highlights)

The NFL, still reeling from allegations that it covered up the long-term dangers of concussions, is now facing a possible blitz from federal drug agents looking into the abuse of painkillers and other drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has quietly launched an investigation into the abuse of prescription medication in NFL locker rooms, three sources familiar with the probe told the Daily News.

Agents from the DEA’s New York division are reaching out to former players to learn how NFL doctors and trainers get access to potent narcotics such as Percodan and Vicodin or anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, a nonaddictive prescription drug widely used around the league to treat pain.

“They want to find out who provided and distributed the drugs to football players,” one source said.

The DEA’s investigation began shortly after attorneys representing about 1,300 NFL retirees filed a class-action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court on May 20 that accuses the league of illegally providing prescription drugs to keep players on the field without informing them of the long-term risks.