Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have launched an investigation into a controversial DEA strategy that allowed large fentanyl shipments to reach the streets. The committee's chairman, Rep. James Comer, sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Todd Blanche requesting records related to this tactic. Concerns have been raised in New Mexico, where whistleblowers reported being ordered not to seize fentanyl pills. Last week, the state’s attorney general sued the U.S. Justice Department for similar records. The DEA's strategy, known as allowing drugs to “walk,” has been criticized for contributing to the fentanyl crisis.

An opioid addiction sullied the once-stellar reputation of one of the NFL's good guys, Thomas Davis. The linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, once named a Walter Payton Man of the Year, said he became addicted to the painkillers toward the end of his 16-year career in the league. It was his addiction that led to the downfall of Joan Rubinger, a self-styled healer who listed Davis among her dozens of high-profile pro-athlete clients who swore by her pain-relief miracles. Davis, still a fixture in Charlotte, says he's gotten the help he needed to overcome his addiction but concedes his reliance on pills made it hard for him to be the kind of father he wanted to be.

Joan Rubinger, a nurse practitioner, built a sports medicine practice treating top athletes. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alleges she wrote illegal prescriptions for painkillers to clients in over 20 states. The DEA last month revoked her authority to prescribe controlled substances, citing egregious conduct. Rubinger agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a Justice Department civil complaint without admitting wrongdoing. Court records reveal she created rules to avoid detection and collected payments through a digital app. The investigation began in 2022 after Kelly Davis, wife of former NFL player Thomas Davis, reported Rubinger. Rubinger has not been criminally charged.