Risky painkiller given to college football players
PORTLAND, Ore. – College football players were given powerful medications so they could play through the pain.
It started as an ABC News exclusive investigation and KATU News learned Thursday that the University of Oregon has given out the drug.
The investigation started after a former player filed suit against USC, saying the painkiller Toradol gave him a heart attack.
That former college player, Armond Armstead, has family ties to the Oregon Ducks football program. His younger brother, Arik, played in Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl for the Ducks in Arizona. Arik Armstead was a highly-recruited freshman U of O defensive lineman.
An exclusive ABC News investigation by reporter Brian Ross revealed the growing use of the powerful painkiller Toradol among college football programs.
"Despite the stated risk of a powerful prescription painkiller called Toradol, which manufactures say could cause heart attack or stroke, college football team doctors across the country are using this painkiller so that injured players can get on the field and play for their team and help them win," Ross said.
While several college programs admit giving Toradol to athletes, many simply didn't want to talk about it. While a few, like Oregon State University, won't use it on their athletes.
"I think where the big danger is when the medicine becomes used as a prophylactic medicine or a medicine that's trying to mask pain to help people to potentially participate in an injured state,” said Dr. Doug Aukerman, OSU Senior Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine.
KATU News checked with local football programs.
Again, Oregon State University does not give athletes the pain killer Toradol. The University of Oregon says Toradol was given to athletes there twice in the past year. Portland State University doesn't give the painkiller to its football players. Neither does Linfield College in McMinnville.
"This is a drug that was designed for use primarily in hospitals to treat post-operative pain – not really meant to be used widespread for student athletes, but its use is now spread to professional football and other sports and has trickled down into college sports as well," said Ross.
Most of the top 25 college programs ABC News contacted during its investigation won't even talk about whether they give Toradol to players so they can play.
What is Toradol?
It's a prescription drug. You might also know its generic name – Ketorolac. It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory used to treat moderate to severe pain.
It has a black box warning, which is the FDA's most serious warning because it has numerous risks associated with it. It could cause a heart attack or stroke, stomach and intestinal bleeding or kidney failure.
This drug is only meant to be taken for very short periods of time: Around five days.
Yup, it seems like school athletic programs are becoming more and more like professional teams. The line between professional and amateur has been crossed and all because of profit to schools and their "student athletes".
I was prescribed this before. It's useless against bulging disks and spinal stenosis. It never worked for my pain. I think its more of psychosomatic placebo instead of useful drug.Â
...and stop treating football players like race horses. It's pathetic.
I guess all I come away from this story with is...
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And this surprises anyone, why?
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Lets be honest here, collegate level football has become basically the minor league NFL. Without the bother of unions or strict regulation and oversight because the cornerstone is (supposed to be) the participants are 'students'. From the coaches who dream of becoming the next coach for an NFL franchise, to the players who are willing to put their physical well being and future on the line for 'good' numbers, and a place on the draft cards.Â
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From players who are involved in everything from rape to theft to drug use, and stories like this, or the recent Penn State meltdown, a couple of scapegoats take the wrap for the whole of the issue, the public gasps and laments over the 'horror' of it all, and then people (as well as, in many cases, taxpayers) return to funneling tens & hundreds of millions of dollars into the sport.
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Yeah, I think it would be fair to say that we as a society have some pretty skrooed-up social priorities. Â
ANYTHING to win.....
I think the point here is this: if you need severe pain killers that are normally utilized for post-operative pain, you most definitely should not be using them just so you can play in a game. These programs (high school, college, professional) should NEVER use this sort of thing so a player can go out and help them win. It is short sighted and their priorities are obviously misaligned.
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If a traditional OTC medication (Tylenol, Aspirin, Advil) does not relieve the pain enough to play - they shouldn't be playing, period.
Did they "make him" take the stuff? If not, it's on the player.
 @mikeyb123 Normally I would agree with you, but there is immense pressure put on players to "perform", including the threat of removal from teams, revoking scholarships, etc. It shouldn't even be AVAILABLE for use without prescription, and if it is used with prescription, they should NOT be allowed to play (because obviously they're rather injured).
 @advocatus diaboli I see where you are coming from. But there is pressure to do a lot of things in life. Sometimes you just have to man up and do what is right for YOU, no matter what the consequence.
Maybe the winning team should be pee tested like winning race horses,Tour de France bicyclists or Olympic athletes
Is this really the night to run this story?  Can't we just revel in the Duck victory?  No, you apparently, KATU feel the need to run a story that could have waited, and in doing that you just put a HUGE damper on tonight's bowl win.
Thanks for nothing. Â I'm putting up KGW, and taking you down, from my home page. Â #disgraceful.Â
 @K. Michelle Pendley Ignorance is bliss! That fits your post like a shoe!
 @K. Michelle Pendley Im reminded of something a mentor of mine used to say;
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The truth is seldom popular,Â
often hidden,Â
and frequently met with violent opposition...
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But, in the end, it's still the truth.
That alone makes it worth telling.Â
 @K. Michelle Pendley Well then, why don't we have KATU check with you first before putting up any stories so you can approve the timing.  #annoyingpeople
 @K. Michelle Pendley Oh, well, yes  BY ALL MEANS BURY a news story to make you "more comfortable", right?  How silly and childish. News stories that are made "to wait" until a "convenient time" = manipulated yellow journalism.Â
Gotta love the Duck football program. Anything in order to win including the health and possible death of players. I'm glad OSU and other Oregon football programs aren't willing to take such risks. I'm glad some football programs in this state have some integrity.
@peckishpete Pete--The story does report that U of O gave it out twice in the past year. It does NOT say 1) that the athletes were football players, 2)that the athletes were allowed (much less encouraged) to play while injured, 3) that it was given for more than five days, 4) whether it was given to post-operative patients, or 5) how serious (and thus how painful) their injuries were. It could be that the drug was used at U of O as it appears to have been used elsewhere. It could also be that it was used in entirely appropriate ways. Condemnation may be deserved. It may not be. How 'bout waiting until you have the facts before you start dishing it out, OK?
You know how many prescriptions have a black box warning? It sounds scary term - Black Box, but did you know Tylenol has a black box warning? FDA puts black box on almost all medications. This really is a non-story unless there is evidence players are on this medication longer than 5 days in a row.
 @the real snoop Tylenol has a "black box warning" because it can destroy your liver and kill you.  "Black box warnings" are there for a reason -- and just because acetaminophen can be purchased without a prescription does NOT mean it can't be fatal.  Â
@Sundowner My point is not a black box should be ignored, my point is everything has a warning. Saying ketorolac has a black box makes it sound like it is more dangerous than other NSAIDs. My point is ketorolac is no more dangerous than Tylenol.
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 @SerenityWowz It's garbage and never worked for me. It however did cause an ulcer instead of helping me. It caused more harm than good. Some peoples pain exceed the analgesia that this drug can offer. You live with 8 bulging disks and spinal stenosis then tell it still works. Its this kind of attitude that prevented me from getting the treatment I needed. Not everyone is a pill seeker. Besides, there's a list that the hospitals keep of "frequent flyers". Iv'e never been prescribed this in Oregon.
@SerenityWowz @the real snoop Tylenol is not an NSAID....
@SerenityWowz Actually Tylenol isn't an NSAID - Advil is, but it does not mess you up as long as it is used as directed.
 @SerenityWowz  @the real snoop True dat.  Toradol isn't even a narcotic, like they give in the NFL or other pro and non pro sports.  It's a drug that's not addictive but allows players to continue.to play.  Unlike concussions, Toradol doesn't kill.  KATU states:" manufactures say could cause heart attack or stroke" Really?  Too much aspirin or more importantly, acetaminophen can and will kill you, if you take it on a regular basis.  This is just a sensational story to gain readers and that it did, but again, is this the right story to run, now?  Nah!Â
 @tigress  @K. Michelle Pendley  @SerenityWowz  @the real snoop See? This is exactly what I am talking about! Thx for the posting, tigress.
 @whirledworld  @K. Michelle Pendley  @SerenityWowz  @the real snoop Terrell Davis - brilliant running back for the Denver Broncos. His college coach forced him to play on an injured leg and the damage from that significantly shortened his NFL career. If he'd refused his college coach's demands there would have been no NFL career. Fortunately for Terrell the Broncos picked him up despite his fragile leg and he helped them win the Super Bowl. Still, he got cheated out of who know how many more successful years because of his college coach.
 @K. Michelle Pendley  @SerenityWowz  @the real snoop Players SHOULD NOT "continue to play through the pain" after sustaining an injury. Pain is the body's warning that further stress or use of the painful area will result in deeper and increased ( and possibly irreparable, permanent ) damage(this happens all the time in sports and it's wrong).
Sports needs to move in an intelligent, body-respectful manner, not "playing through the pain"...which is  a kind of mentality that taken farther along, eventually leads to extremes like Lance Armstrong doping to "win at all costs". Â
Well, we now have another reason Chip Kelly will jump ship and go to the NFL.....
It's all about winning. No concern for the athletes.
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We have become East Germany.
@RalphCramden As I commented to peckishpete, above ,the story does report that U of O gave it out twice in the past year. It does NOT say 1) that the athletes were football players, 2)that the athletes were allowed (much less encouraged) to play while injured, 3) that it was given for more than five days, 4) whether it was given to post-operative patients, or 5) how serious (and thus how painful) their injuries were. It could be that the drug was used at U of O as it appears to have been used elsewhere. It could also be that it was used in entirely appropriate ways. Condemnation may be deserved. It may not be. How 'bout waiting until you have the facts before you start dishing it out, OK?
 @Mechanic  @RalphCramden ^Listen to this broken record!
Give me a break. They are giving this to college players who've been knocked around in the head so they can get up and abuse their bodies again the next day. What kind of sports is this? Help me.
 @shewiz One where a winning coach like Chip makes 2-5 million a year to win the fiesta bowl. So you can't tell me that some of these coaches are not putting their paycheck and future paychecks ahead of the safety of the players when that kind of money is involved. Not saying Chip is but you can bet some of the coaches are...
@FreedomRocks @shewiz  Article states 2 players. Nothing about the football team. This very well could have gone to the volleyball, baseball, gymnastics, ect. Over 1,000 athletes at U of O and it was used 2 times. That is not a big deal. Now if there was evidence it was used 20 to 30 times during a season by the football team, ya, that would be a story, but 2x in a year?
 @the real snoop  @FreedomRocks I was not talking specifically about UofO just used them as an example of how much money is in play and why it could easily warp the morals of those in charge.
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Does not matter if your covering for a pedophile at Penn State or using dangerous drugs to keep players on the field when that kind of cash is one the table it can be a problem keeping in mind who your supposed to be looking at for.