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Papelbon said he couldn't recall who introduced him to Toradol, and wasn't sure when he first began receiving injections, but believes it was in 2007, when he was the closer on the team that won the World Series title.
"It was kind of a word-of-mouth thing," he said. "You got in the clubhouse and said, 'Man, I feel like crap,' and somebody would say, 'Oh, you should get a Toradol shot.' All players talk about what gets you through a 162-game season."
Papelbon said he never saw another player get injected, but he believes many players were using Toradol.
Papelbon said he was never told of any potential side effects of using Toradol, but did not personally experience any adverse reactions.
ESPNBoston | Jonathan Papelbon says he took Toradol shots while with Boston Red Sox
Another day, another sort-of steroid story from the Red Sox.
Before you go freaking out, here's what we know about Toradol: It's not illegal. It's widely used in baseball.
And here's what we know about Jonathan Papelbon: He loves attention. By talking about this, he was able to do a number of things. First, he got to take a jab at Boston by saying the Philadelphia doctors told him "We don't do that here" when he asked for Toradol. Second, he gets to pump up Philly a bit: Their doctors have smarter ways of treating pain. Third, he gets another article written about him.
Of course, with this piling on top of Curt Schilling's steroid accusation last week, people will start talking about the Sox as having a dirty clubhouse. And you know what? I'm sure they do. Just like every other clubhouse in baseball.
If you think some sort of illegal PED wasn't used by a member of any team ever, you need a lobotomy.
Back to the legal side of things. Since Toradol is apparently legal (and just kind of controversial), this does send up another red flag about the Sox medical staff, which has seen doctors come and go after a number of questionable diagnoses and poor recoveries. Of all the things that we should hope change about the Red Sox in 2013 (and there are many), that's number 1 on my list. I would love to see an effective medical staff, normal recovery times, and fewer time spent on the DL. It'll go a long way toward how the Red Sox do this year.
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