‘Like at McDonald’s’: Sports nurse practitioner sold opioids to athletes like ‘you gotta pay for your burger,” DEA investigation finds

Joan Rubinger, a renowned pain-relief specialist who has treated top-tier athletes, has been accused by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of selling thousands of illegal prescriptions for highly addictive painkillers to athletes, according to court filings. The nurse practitioner likened her actions during a four-year period to selling burgers at a fast-food restaurant, allegedly dispensing 260,000 pills to patients across more than 20 states.

The investigation led to the revocation of Rubinger's ability to prescribe opioids and a $1.4 million settlement to settle a parallel Justice Department civil complaint. The allegations, however, did not result in criminal charges for Rubinger. The DEA claims that Rubinger's scheme expanded beyond professional athletes to include members of an Ohio-based street gang, a confessed New Jersey drug trafficker, and a New York City model.

Former NFL player Thomas Davis received more than 13,000 oxycodone and Percocet pills from Rubinger between 2019 and 2024. The DEA also alleges that Rubinger instructed her clients to avoid prescription flagging by pharmacies using an encrypted messaging app.