Joan Rubinger, a pain specialist who treated elite athletes, has had her ability to prescribe opioids revoked by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over allegations of illegally dispensing a vast quantity of addictive painkillers. The DEA stated that over a four-year period, Rubinger, a nurse practitioner, prescribed approximately 260,000 pills containing controlled substances to patients in more than 20 states.
This action followed Rubinger's agreement in March to pay $1.4 million to settle a civil complaint filed by the Justice Department. The complaint accused her of dispensing controlled substances like oxycodone, Percocet, and Xanax on hundreds of occasions without a legitimate medical purpose. Rubinger did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which also prohibits her from ever prescribing controlled substances again.
Federal authorities alleged that Rubinger's scheme expanded beyond professional athletes to include other clients, such as members of a street gang, a confessed drug trafficker, and a model. Court filings indicate she coached clients on an encrypted messaging app about how to avoid detection by pharmacies.
DEA Investigation Triggered by Former Athlete's Wife
The DEA's investigation into Rubinger began in 2022 after receiving a tip from the wife of former NFL linebacker Thomas Davis. According to court documents and an interview with Kelly Davis, her husband received more than 13,000 oxycodone and Percocet pills between November 2019 and March 2024. Kelly Davis reported that she was alerted to the prescriptions when she was flagged for receiving excessive pain medication herself, unaware that Rubinger had written 23 oxycodone prescriptions for her husband under her name.
Rubinger's practice, All Pro Sports Medicine, which she founded around 2010, was described by Justice Department lawyers as "highly unorthodox." It often operated out of hotel rooms and lacked medical records or physician supervision. Rubinger also promoted a pain-relieving gel she created, marketed as "The Goo."
Rubinger's personal history includes overcoming a severe biking accident in 2015 that left her paralyzed. Despite her injuries, she returned to work within three months. Her website and social media featured testimonials from numerous athletes, including Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Court records do not suggest any wrongdoing by these athletes or that they were aware of Rubinger's alleged illicit prescription practices.
While Rubinger's spokesperson stated that her case was a civil matter and not criminal, and that no disciplinary actions were taken by nursing boards in California and New York, the DEA's administrative law judge cited "egregious conduct." Federal prosecutors declined to comment on why criminal charges were not pursued despite accusations of violating federal drug statutes and regulations hundreds of times. A retired DEA investigator noted that Rubinger's alleged steps to evade detection were particularly flagrant.