NFL players discuss drug use in pro football (Video)
By Jack Maloney
The NFL has a drug problem. Whether it is street drugs like marijuana or prescription pain killers, a large majority of the league uses drugs on a regular basis because if they didn’t they couldn’t get through the season. That is a problem. It’s not one I’m sure how you can solve, but it’s a problem.
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Recently, a few NFL players, including Tank Johnson, sat down with Fusion TV to further discuss the wide ranging drug use throughout the league.
Just listen to some of the things they said during that video.
"When asked if he had any side effects from painkillers, New York Giants cornerback Walter Thurmond responded, “I remember getting double Percocets. It put me in a state of having nightmares at night, that’s how crazy it was.”"
It just shows how backwards the culture surrounding the league is. Now, I realize that marijuana is still illegal in most states, but while the league freaks out about weed and hands out whole season suspensions for using it, they hush the fact that they’re doing more damage to the players by doling out double doses of painkillers.
Tank Johnson recalls in that video how he’s seen players receive an epidural–the same thing women receive during childbirth–just to play in a football game. That’s insanity. Painkillers are one thing, but double doses of them and epidurals is crossing the line. And again, I don’t know how that’s supposed to be fixed when the game is so violent.
I do know that something has to change.