Former Boston closer
Jonathan Papelbon said over the weekend that he was routinely injected with the
legal painkiller Toradol while playing for the Red Sox. Toradol is a
nonsteroidal drug that is widely used throughout baseball, but it has come under scrutiny recently as it has led to complications in some players. For example, Red Sox pitcher
Clay Buchholz was sidelined for 20 games last year by esophagitis—after being treated with Toradol. Papelbon says that as soon as he became a Phillie, he was told he would have to stop using the drug—which was frowned upon by the Philadelphia organization. Papelbon has not taken Toradol since. A Red Sox club official has told
ESPNBoston.com that the team is "reviewing" its use of Toradol.
