Painkillers Probe in NFL 'Long Way From Complete' The five NFL road teams whose medical staffs were interviewed and subjected to spot checks of their bags by federal agents may turn out to be just the first five in line. Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rusty Payne said that teams were chosen for inspection simply because they were playing away from home. They were the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Bucs, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. No arrests were made and the DEA declined to comment whether any potential violations of the federal controlled substances act - the stated reason for the inspections - were discovered. But Payne also noted Sunday that investigators from the agency "are currently interviewing NFL team doctors in several locations," suggesting the federal probe begun this summer into possible drug prescription abuse in the league could involve all 32 teams. Although the NFL said in a statement "we have no information to indicate that irregularities were found," and the Tampa Bay Bucs breezily characterized the spot-check as a "5-minute delay" on Twitter, at least one former federal prosecutor called the inspections "a big step forward." "When someone from the government - even without a warrant - walks up and asks questions, they get answers and you can test those answers," said Steven Feldman, a former assistant U.S. Attorney for New York's southern district with considerable experience in narcotics prosecutions. They're either going to tell the truth or lie, and you can use either one in an investigation. Having worked with DEA investigators in the past, it's just one more step. My guess," he added, "is that this one is a long way from being complete." In response to questions Monday from Associated Press reporters, nine teams said no one in their organization, including medical staff, had been contacted by investigators from the DEA. Here's several things to know as the investigation going forward: The probe was sparked by a lawsuit filed in May on behalf of 500 former players who claimed they were routinely - and often illegally - given powerful narcotics and other drugs such as Vicodin and Oxycontin to mask pain and keep them on the playing field. Over the last several weeks, investigators criss-crossed the country to interview at least a half-dozen former players - including at least two who were named plaintiffs in the painkillers lawsuit, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the meetings who spoke on the condition of anonymity because prosecutors told them not to comment on the meetings. "To me," said Feldman, "the timing suggests they're looking for someone who can provide a narrative of what went on inside the locker rooms. They have some of that from the players ...but to expand it, they need someone on the other side. Someone who can be squeezed, who acknowledged giving out pills, or who can say whether it was a policy higher up the organization. ... So team doctors and trainers are certainly one place to go looking.