NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 39
Players’ Rights To Medical Care and Treatment

Section 20(c)
Prescription Medication and Pain Management Program

(c)

Pain Management Specialist. Each Club shall appoint a team consultant specializing in pain management (“Pain Management Specialist”) prior to the start of each NFL season. Each Pain Management Specialist shall be a minimum of five-years post residency and be board certified in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, physical medicine & rehabilitation, or neurology. A physician nominated to serve as a club’s Pain Management Specialist must actively engage in pain management (at least 25% of her/his practice) as certified by the chairperson of the hospital in which they practice. The Pain Management Specialist may not be the Head Team Physician, Head Team Orthopedist or the Head Team Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician of the Club. The duties and responsibilities of the Pain Management Specialist will be defined by the Joint Pain Management Committee.