NFL Sued by Ex-Players Saying Painkillers Masked Injuries

Retired players including ex-Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon accused the National Football League of using painkillers to mask injuries in a “culture of drug misuse,” expanding litigation over the damage former athletes suffered during their playing days.

While thousands of former NFL players have sued over concussions and other head injuries sustained on the field, the case filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco represents a new strategy to gain damages for old injuries, said Mark Conrad, director of the sports business program at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.