Football Star's Path to an Opioid Overdose Unfolds in Court
- Dad says his son’s addiction shows threat posed by such drugs
- Testimony at Oklahoma trial of J&J on public-nuisance claims
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Austin Box was a home-grown football star at the University of Oklahoma in 2010 when back surgery to repair an injury got him started on powerful opioid painkillers that would end his life at 22, his father testified through tears on Wednesday.
A medical examiner’s report showed Box, a starting linebacker, had five prescription painkillers and an anti-anxiety drug in his system when he died, just a week after graduation. He was planning to play his final year while attending law school, his father said.