This came out at the trial of Eric Kay, accused of providing drugs that led to the death of Tyler Skaggs:
The day began with cross-examination of Skaggs’ onetime teammate Andrew Heaney, who admitted on the stand that he smoked marijuana with Skaggs and that a number of players use opioid painkillers.
Defense attorney Michael Molfetta asked, “A lot of guys go outside of team doctors for those drugs, yes?” Heaney responded, “I don’t know how many. It’s safe to say there’s at least a few.”
Prosecutors objected when Molfetta first asked Heaney about marijuana use, but Judge Terry R. Means allowed Molfetta to proceed. That decision could be an ominous precedent for the players, such as former All-Star Matt Harvey, who are expected to testify about their own alleged drug use.
ESPN.com
Given our experience with PED abuse, “at least a few” might mean “a whole lot.”
The impression I get reading about the CBA negotiations from various sources is that the players are winning the public relations side, especially since they are being portrayed as fighting for the little guy. This trial, if it winds up exposing a new drug scandal, might derail that. The players and owners spent 20 years trying to clean up the game from PED abuse, only to find players using a substitute. Amphetamines, PEDs, and painkillers all have one thing in common; they allow the players to get on field when they otherwise could not. Fans appreciate playing through pain, but I’m starting to believe that is wrong.
Will the owners use this against the players in the CBA talks? Will they say something like, “This is going to cost us a lot of money to clean up the sport again. What are you going to give up?” Maybe the problem is unsolvable. The rewards in the game are high for success, and a player can’t be successful if he’s not on the field. The incentives have always been pushing toward playing by any means possible. While the core economic issue is at the forefront of this negotiation, it might be time to address the incentives that lead to people being willing to use drugs to gain that payoff.