Painkillers: A big, and unregulated, part of college football

'I knew I wouldn't be able to make it ... without a shot'

Garrett Anderson, all 6 feet, 4 inches and 307 pounds of him, was in pain. "I was trying to play with a high ankle sprain and a broken hand at the same time," South Carolina's senior center said. So before a 2007 game, Anderson received a shot of Toradol, a painkiller that is the injection drug of choice in college football locker rooms before and during games, or immediately following wins and losses that hurt more than most people realize. Read More

A voice in the wind

Expert on painkiller abuse frustrated by lack of interest in his message

Marcus Amos worries about college football players becoming addicted to prescription painkillers, and worse. "It's rampant," the Augusta, Ga.-based counselor said. Read More

No oversight by NCAA

Use of prescription painkillers that help keep athletes on field not monitored by NCAA

The NCAA monitors many aspects of a college football player's career - grades, gifts, complimentary tickets. But painkiller prescription medication is not monitored. Read More

Still no oversight on painkillers

Since talking to The Post and Courier about prescription drug abuse and painkiller injections given to college football players, Marcus Amos has been asked by Sports Illustrated and ESPN's "Outside the Lines" to elaborate for upcoming stories on the same subjects. Read More