CHICKASHA, OK -- A former NFL football player from Oklahoma is facing felony drug charges. He was arrested and charged Tuesday in Grady County with two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by forgery or fraud.
Twenty-eight year old Sam Rayburn said it all goes back to his years of playing football and his many injuries.
"It gets to the point where you either have to say I've got to put it down, or you make a stupid decision which, unfortunately, is what I did."
Rayburn was a defensive tackle but is now working to tackle a different opponent - prescription drug addiction.
"I still have pain. I did become addicted to it," Rayburn said.
He has been playing football since childhood and was a stand-out all-stater at Chickasha High School. Rayburn played for the University of Tulsa and later joined the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, but he said years of wear and tear on his body eventually caught up with him.
"You dislocate your knee, your shoulder or elbow, break a bone, tear a ligament," Rayburn said.
His dependency on prescription drugs grew as quickly as his injuries and eventually got out of control. The problem followed him when he returned home to Oklahoma. In March he admitted to investigators he stole prescription pads from a doctor and wrote prescriptions to himself. Records show about 36 prescriptions of oxycodone were filled at local pharmacies under Rayburn's name.
"It just gets to the point where you don't need the medication to perform on the field anymore. You need it to perform in your life. You have to have it to get up and work and play with your kids," Rayburn said.
Court records say Rayburn forged prescriptions for Percocet and Lortab to 18 year old Brian Burdex and 23 year old Nathan Ballinger that were to later be given to him. Pharmacy workers realized what was happening and called police - the next step an arrest, a mug shot, and now a turning point.
"I'm trying to come out of this a better person," Rayburn said.
Burdex and Ballinger were both arrested and each charged with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by forgery or fraud. Rayburn said he has completed rehab and has been clean for fifty days. He later hopes to educate others with his story.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Twenty-eight year old Sam Rayburn said it all goes back to his years of playing football and his many injuries.
"It gets to the point where you either have to say I've got to put it down, or you make a stupid decision which, unfortunately, is what I did."
Rayburn was a defensive tackle but is now working to tackle a different opponent - prescription drug addiction.
"I still have pain. I did become addicted to it," Rayburn said.
He has been playing football since childhood and was a stand-out all-stater at Chickasha High School. Rayburn played for the University of Tulsa and later joined the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, but he said years of wear and tear on his body eventually caught up with him.
"You dislocate your knee, your shoulder or elbow, break a bone, tear a ligament," Rayburn said.
His dependency on prescription drugs grew as quickly as his injuries and eventually got out of control. The problem followed him when he returned home to Oklahoma. In March he admitted to investigators he stole prescription pads from a doctor and wrote prescriptions to himself. Records show about 36 prescriptions of oxycodone were filled at local pharmacies under Rayburn's name.
"It just gets to the point where you don't need the medication to perform on the field anymore. You need it to perform in your life. You have to have it to get up and work and play with your kids," Rayburn said.
Court records say Rayburn forged prescriptions for Percocet and Lortab to 18 year old Brian Burdex and 23 year old Nathan Ballinger that were to later be given to him. Pharmacy workers realized what was happening and called police - the next step an arrest, a mug shot, and now a turning point.
"I'm trying to come out of this a better person," Rayburn said.
Burdex and Ballinger were both arrested and each charged with one count of obtaining a controlled substance by forgery or fraud. Rayburn said he has completed rehab and has been clean for fifty days. He later hopes to educate others with his story.
Contact KFOR News directly by clicking here if you would like to submit a news story tip or suggestion.
Copyright 2009 KFOR-TV-DT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
