A recent study explored the use and misuse of prescription painkillers by former players. The use of pain medication by former players is at a rate more than four times that of the general population. The study, commissioned by ESPN and additional funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will be published on the website of the peer-reviewed scientific journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Doctor Linda Cottler, PhD, led the study along with colleagues from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Cottler and co. studied the habits of 644 ex-NFL players and came away with these key findings: ? 52% of the retired players said they used prescription painkillers during their playing days. Of those, 71% said they misused as players, with 15% of the misusers acknowledging abuse of medications within the past 30 days. ? Those who misused as players were three times more likely to misuse today than those who used as prescribed while playing. ? 63% of the retired players who used prescription painkillers while playing obtained them from non-medical sources: teammates, coaches, trainers, family members, dealers or the Internet.