Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke up Sunday’s football celebrations to question team doctors and staffers about their alleged illegal distribution of prescription drugs.
Among those questioned were medical and training staffers with the San Francisco 49ers, and officials with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
DEA spokesman Rusty Payne said agents caught up with 49ers staff at MetLife Stadium, right after that team’s 16-10 win over the New York Giants, CNN reported.
Tampa Bay said via Twitter that the DEA “checked in” with members and staff at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, but that the team was able to board its plane without incident, CNN said.
Meanwhile, a Justice Department official confirmed that DEA agents spoke with team doctors at “several locations,” CNN reported.
The DEA’s investigation comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by 1,300 former NFL players alleging the league gave out powerful painkillers and other prescription medicines in order to keep them playing. The class-action suit was filed in May 2013 in California.
No arrests were made on Sunday.
“Our teams cooperated with the DEA today, and we have no information to indicate that irregularities were found,” said Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of corporate communications, in CNN.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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