Current Minnesota Vikings’ trainer cited in recent grievance filed against the NFL
By Adam Patrick
The NFLPA recently filed a grievance against the NFL due to a number of alleged prescription drug incidents that violated the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
Less than a month ago, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated adamantly that marijuana is highly addictive and detrimental to one’s health. Goodell conveniently avoided mentioning the disturbing amounts of prescription pain killers that are widely distributed among the players he is supposed to be in charge of.
Unlike marijuana, the pain killers used by NFL players have actually been proven to be addictive and dangerous to a player’s current and future health.
Well now Goodell may get to learn just how prevalent the act of popping pills currently is in the league as the NFLPA has recently filed a grievance versus the NFL that could reveal some ugly details regarding how poorly the league controls its teams’ pain killer usage levels.
In the grievance, the NFLPA accuses the NFL and its teams of violating the current collective bargaining agreement by disregarding, “explicit CBA requirements as they apply to the proper, legal, medically ethical prescription, dispensing, and transportation of prescription painkillers.”
Current Minnesota Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman was included in the grievance in the section that included examples of teams violating the CBA. Sugarman sent an email back in 2008 to other members of the Vikings’ organization that described some discrepancies when it came to the team’s current prescription drug inventory.
"“Here is week 17’s fiasco, the following items did not match up this week. 1. Total of 16 Ambien given out was recorded – however only 11 Ambien were missing from the kit. 2. Total of 21 Toradol shots were recorded – however only 20 Toradol shots were missing from the kit. 3. Total of 1 Diphenhydramine shots were missing with no record of dispensing.There have been several times where the drug sheet and restock sheet didn’t match but it was easily reconciled that day. There have been two incidences of drugs that have not been accounted for at all.1. 12/17/07 – Missing all 12 pills of cyclobenzaprine. 2. 12/23/07 – Missing all 10 pills of SMZ/TMP 800-160 mg. In the case of the SMZ/TMP the whole bottle itself was missing from the kit.”"
Who exactly is to blame for the misplacement of these prescription drugs is unknown at this point. But it certainly does not look good for Sugarman given that it occurred under his watch.
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Could this end up costing Sugarman his job if more unfavorable details are revealed? Possibly, but for now his position of helping injured players get back on the field for the Vikings remains intact.