BYU assistant coach Dick Felt wondered at the time, "Where does our responsibility begin and end, and where does the player's responsibility begin and end?"

Ten years later, linebacker Brad Martin, who became addicted to Lortab after suffering spinal injuries in a car accident on the way to practice, hired a lawyer to sort it out. BYU paid at least $34,000 for rehab through 2002. Martin continued to struggle and sued the university two years later.

His lawsuit contended that BYU "continually allowed me to play football despite my injuries" and "provided me with an abundance of painkillers ... to allow me to play through the pain in my last football season."

Martin and BYU settled out of court. He died last year of causes related to drug abuse.

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said the school has a "pretty good set of screens" to detect problems like prescription drug abuse. They include an ecclesiastical endorsement for each player, a religiously based Honor Code, and NCAA and in-house drug testing. But they are not foolproof.

"Even though we have those screens in place, if prescription narcotics are involved there's always a possibility" of abuse, Holmoe said.

Keeping tabs

Recently, Atkinson became hooked on Lortab after his third knee surgery. A projected starter, he quit the team during fall camp in 2004.

His father, Scott Atkinson, said he puts half the blame on BYU and half on his son. The university did not offer to pay for Bryant Atkinson's treatment, nor did the Atkinsons seek it.

"I wish it would be different, but I know the reality. They don't want to touch this with a 10-foot pole. I think in their eyes there's nothing productive that can come from it," Scott Atkinson said.

"I guess my expectations are zero, so I guess my expectations will be met."

Tom Holmoe, who became athletic director in March 2005, wasn't on the job while Atkinson was at BYU. He said any discussion of drug rehab costs would be handled case by case. But "if someone very irresponsibly went out to find other narcotics, it's hard to say you're (the university) responsible for that."

Ultimately, Amos said injured players need to communicate effectively with team trainers and doctors. Many athletes try to medicate themselves, but doctors need to keep tabs on prescriptions. A red flag should go up if it runs out too fast.

"At this point it's the doctors' responsibility to investigate the problem. But if the athlete can't get any more medication from the team doctors, he or she will resort to other alternatives. Either way, they will get them legally or illegally once they become addicted," Amos said.