They came for the concussions. They stayed for the painkillers.
The mainstream news media, already paying close attention to the NFL’s current legal challenges arising from an explosion in concussion lawsuits filed by former players, has quickly pushed to the top of the rundown news that the league faces litigation arising from the dissemination of painkillers to players.
According to SportsBusiness Daily, several morning shows and evening newscasts led with the story. CBS’s This Morning, ABC’s World News, NBC’s Nightly News, and CBS’s Evening News all had the story at the top of the broadcasts. On NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America, the lawsuit landed as the second story.
For the NFL, the issue remains a low priority. For now. Via Nancy Armour of USA Today, league spokesman Greg Aiello said that the NFL hasn’t seen the lawsuit yet, and that the lawyers haven’t had a chance to review it.
PFT has obtained a copy of the lawsuit, and we’ll be taking a close look at it soon. The goal will be to explain the situation without jargon or complexity. That goal, however, could be impossible to achieve.