Both teams made roster moves before the game | Forum
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Apr 3 '19
Former Pro Bowl defender Marcellus Wiley added his name to a lawsuit accusing NFL teams of illegally dispensing powerful narcotics and other drugs to keep players on the field without regard for their long-term health. Nike Vapormax Ireland . "The first thing people ask is, knowing what happened, would you do it again?" said Wiley, currently an ESPN analyst. "No. No I wouldnt." The lawsuit was originally filed May 20 in U.S. District Court in northern California and amended Wednesday to add 250 more players, bringing the total to 750 plaintiffs. Wiley, who played in Buffalo, San Diego, Dallas and Jacksonville from 1997-2006, is the ninth player identified by name, joining former Chicago Bears Jim McMahon, Richard Dent and Keith Van Horne, Jeremy Newberry and others. The lawsuit, which is seeking class certification, covers the years 1968-2008. It contends team physicians and trainers across the NFL routinely -- and often illegally -- provided powerful narcotics and other controlled substances on game days to mask the pain. Among them were the painkillers Percodan, Percocet and Vicodin, anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, and sleep aids such as Ambien. Lead attorney Steven Silverman said some teams filled out prescriptions in players names without their knowledge or consent. He said those drugs were then "handed out like candy at Halloween" and often combined in "cocktails." NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league had no comment. The former players have reported a range of debilitating effects, from chronic muscle and bone ailments to permanent nerve and organ damage to addiction. The players contend those health problems came from drug use but many of the conditions arent tied to the use of painkillers. Six of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, including McMahon and Van Horne, were also parties to the concussion-related class-action lawsuit filed against the NFL less than a year ago. The NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle that case -- without acknowledging it concealed the risks of concussions from former players. A federal judge has yet to approve the settlement, expressing concern the amount is too small. Wiley, 39, was not part of the concussion lawsuit, but decided to join former players in this one after suffering partial renal failure in April, despite no history of kidney problems. Wiley said he took "multiple injections" of painkillers over the course of a season to cope with an injury that then-San Diego team physician Dr. David Chao diagnosed as severe groin sprain. After the season, an independent doctor diagnosed a torn abdominal wall that required surgery. "You cant walk into a doctors office and say, "Give me this, give me that, just to get through the day. Somebody would shut the place down," Wiley said in a telephone interview. "But thats what was going on in the NFL. Its easy to get mesmerized. I wont deny that; theres this play through-the-pain, fall-on-the-sword culture, and somebody in line ready to step up and take your place... "And the next question when people hear about this stuff is wheres the personal responsibility? Well, Im not a medical doctor" he added, "but I did take the word of a medical doctor who took an oath to get me through not just one game, or one season, but a lifetime. Meanwhile, hes getting paid by how many bodies he gets out on the field." Chao stepped down as San Diegos team physician last June, after the NFL Players Association called for him to be replaced and filed a complaint. An independent panel cleared Chao. In April, as part of a stipulated settlement, Chao was placed on probation by the Medical Board of California. His license was also revoked, but that action was stayed while he remains on probation. He was accused of committing gross negligence, repeated negligent acts and acts of dishonesty or corruption. Chao was also found liable of malpractice in 2012 in a case involving a regular patient, not a Chargers player, with a judgment of nearly $5.2 million. Records also show he has been publicly reprimanded by the board and pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. The lawsuits main burden is proving cause and effect -- that use of painkillers in the past caused the chronic problems the players face now. The players also would have to show that they are suffering those problems at a greater rate than other people their age, and that its not due to other risk factors such as obesity, smoking and family history. Wholesale Nike Vapormax . Both the top-seeded Djokovic and sixth-seeded Fish took relatively easy paths, with the Serb winning when opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired in the second set with a sore arm and Fish dominating Janko Tipsarevic in two quick sets. Nike Vapormax Sale . The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders are giving it a try, too. DETROIT -- J.D. Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday. Hunter led off the ninth with a single off Casey Fein (3-3), and Miguel Cabrera rifled a line drive that almost knocked over shortstop Dany Santana as he made a leaping catch. Victor Martinez then hit a fly ball to the right-field wall, and Oswaldo Arcia dropped it for an error. That put runners on the corners, and J.D. Martinez followed with a fly to medium-depth centre. Hunter never hesitated, and scored easily when Sam Fulds throw was badly off line. Joe Nathan (3-2) pitched a scoreless ninth. Minnesota starter Ricky Nolasco allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings, while Detroits Rick Porcello pitched seven, also giving up three runs. The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a defensive mistake by Arcia. With a runner on third and two out, Arcia, who has struggled defensively all series, lost a routine flyball in the sun to give Victor Martinez an easy RBI double. In the second, it was Josh Willingham who misplayed Austin Jacksons liner into the left-field corner, turning a probable double into a stand-up triple. Nick Castellanos followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. The Twins took the lead with three runs in the sixth. Doubles by Joe Mauer and Willingham provided the first run, and Kendrys Morales bbringing home the second with a base hit. Nike Vapormax Free Shipping. . After a walk to Arcia, Kurt Suzuki lined a single to left, and Minnesota third-base coach Joe Vavra stunned all 41,462 fans by waving the plodding Morales around third. J.D. Martinezs throw had the runner beat by 15 feet, but Alex Avila couldnt handle it, allowing the run to score. Ricky Nolasco, though, couldnt hold the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Nick Castellanos doubled in the tying run, and Nolasco intentionally walked Alex Avila to load the bases with one. It was a risky move, since rookie Eugenio Suarez had three extra-base hits on Saturday, but Jared Burton came out of the bullpen to induce an infield fly. Burton then retired Ian Kinsler to end the inning, with the score tied at three. The Tigers threatened again in the seventh after walks to Cabrera and Victor Martinez, but Matt Guerrier got them out of the jam. Joba Chamberlain and Joe Nathan allowed two runners in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, NOTES: Both teams made roster moves before the game. The Tigers called up LHP Blaine Hardy from Triple-A Toledo to serve as the long man in a struggling bullpen, and sent rookie RHP Corey Knebel back to the Mud Hens. The Twins placed Trevor Plouffe on the 15-day disabled list with the oblique strain he sustained in Saturdays loss, and called up Pedro Florimon from Triple-A Rochester. ' ' '
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