Pain medication use in professional sports...the real issue.
With the ongoing controversy regarding performance enhancing drugs (PED) in baseball, little attention has been focused on a much larger problem in professional sports. Pain medication.
The overuse of narcotic pain medication in professional sports, especially contact sports, is enormous. The use of performance enhancing drugs is minuscule in comparison.
If Major League Baseball utilized a 'don't ask and don't tell' approach to PED use, the NFL must be in complete denial. Professional football is so damaging the human body that it is nearly impossible for a regular player to avoid the use of narcotics.
There are two constants in the NFL: 1. Some part of your body is always seriously hurting and 2. there is always someone eager to take your place in the line up.
A cortisone shot will make it feel better in a few days. A percocet or vicodin will make if feel better right now.
After a 5 or 6 year NFL career, daily pain medication is a way of life for many if not most players. Their career will one day end but the pain commonly does not. Year after year of daily physical abuse leads to substance overuse, which in turn commonly leads to abuse and dependence. The narcotic habit that developed during a player's active career often continues far into retirement.
The 2008-'09 NFL season is over but prescription narcotic use has no off season. Amazing what you might find, if you ask someone to pee in a cup.
If the NFL disputes my assertions, they should simply walk into any NFL locker room and demand every player to anonymously provide a urine sample. The goal is not to assess individual blame but to gauge narcotic use in general.
Oh yeah, that can't happen because it would violate the collective bargaining agreement...I know you're not surprised.
Comments