Outside of testing for performance-enhancing drugs, it’s clear that the world of professional sports has a great deal of catching up to do. While it doesn’t have the same problems that the NHL does with cocaine, the NFL has come under intense scrutiny for its extremely lax drug testing policies. This, coupled with the intense amount of controversy generated by the NFL’s concussion policies (or lack thereof), has generated a conversation about what recreational drug use means to a multi-billion dollar industry and its athletes.
The NFL has been notoriously inadequate in its handling of concussions and head trauma amongst its players. In the early 90s, the NFL reviewed early research on what would eventually be named chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE occurs after short periods of time during which there are repeated, heavy blows to the head, causing permanent and severe brain damage. The research was somewhat dismissed until Dr. Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist, found CTE in the brains of five former NFL players. In the years to come, more cases of CTE began to pile up, all leading to one case. On the first of December, 2012, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered his girlfriend, and proceeded to kill himself in front of the general manager and head coach of the team. While on the surface this looks like a deranged murder-suicide, some believed it was more. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, stating the team ignored the signs of CTE, which could have played a role in his suicide. After his autopsy, it was confirmed he suffered from CTE, and doctors stated that this could have played a significant role in his behavior.
After this event and heavy scrutiny from outside the league, the NFL again began to address concussions in the NFL. In doing so, they found something equally sinister. To deal with the repeated head trauma which often caused extreme pain, dizziness, disorientation, paranoia, and dementia, players had begun abusing prescription painkillers. On top of this, it was discovered that the NFL only tests for recreational drugs during the offseason, which many feel is relatively pointless, as a majority of painkiller abuse would occur during the season when trauma is actually occurring. Additionally, the NFL only tests once a year on a publicly known date, meaning it’s extremely easy to pass the test and continue to use drugs. If one tests positive at this test, they enter a 90-day period of increased testing, and barring more drug use, they are let off with no repercussions.
This is a difficult issue to approach, let alone solve, for the NFL. On one hand, they have rampant, traumatic head injuries and players attempting to deal with them using drugs, and on the other hand they have an extreme drug problem due in part to head injuries. One cannot solve the issue of drug abuse without also solving the problem of CTE, and vice versa. Hopefully, as more is uncovered about drug use and CTE, the NFL will do more to help prevent both in the future.
https://deadspin.com/its-remarkably-easy-to-beat-nfl-drug-testing-1695935246
