Judge blocks Williamses Suspension

[A.E]

Huge news for Vikings' fan today:

Judge blocks suspensions of Vikings' Williamses

MINNEAPOLIS – A Minnesota judge has blocked the NFL's suspension of Vikings stars Kevin and Pat Williams for violating the league's anti-doping policy.

Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson issued a temporary restraining order at the players' request on Wednesday, saying he wanted more time to hear arguments in the case. No further hearing date immediately was set.

The Williamses were among six players suspended for four games for testing positive for a diuretic that can be used as a masking agent for steroids. They have argued that the substance containing the diuretic didn't list all its ingredients.

The Vikings are 7-5 and in first place in the NFC North, with the Williamses a big part of their success.

 

[jarrod2323]

kinda of wondering why they did this..

the nfl allows them to come back if they make the playoffs.. them doing this can now make the nfl take that back.. they're gonna get suspended regardless..

just man up to taking supplements and the mistake they made and deal with it. get of your asses and work the fat off like an athlete should instead of taking a shortcut

 

[Giantmetfan07]

I agree. This is just going to hurt them in the long run.

 

[555666]

It would've hurt the team in the short term though.. If these guys weren't able to play, I don't know if Minnesota would be able to get into the playoffs.

I think they ought to be suspended as well, but I'm just saying that the team may not be able to make the playoffs without em.

 

[A.E]

I think the Williamses attempt to prove that their claim of an injustice, at the State District Court level, goes to show that they really did not know that their weight loss supplement had some banned sh*t in it.

It's hard for me to say that they are innocent...but as a Vikings' fan, I am hoping all hell that they win this fight. The Players Association is building a huge case now & planning on taking it to court as well.

In the meantime, the Vikings signed DT Jimmy Kennedy. Fallen is right too...no way we make the playoffs without 'The Williams Wall'.

 

[Macken]

i got a feeling they didnt know for real. the williams boys are good ppl,i mean one is a cop and doesnt get paid for doing it.

they need the wall up for the next 4 games , without them this takes a huge hit on the run defense and teams like the lions have a chance to produce some offense now..

 

[Giantmetfan07]

Word is the Players' union is getting into it as well for the others that were suspended...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The NFL Players Association filed a lawsuit Thursday to block five of the six player suspensions for violating the league's anti-doping policy.

The suit filed in federal court here is on behalf of Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints.

The five players were suspended for four games for testing positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide, which can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The drug was in a dietary supplement, StarCaps, that did not list the diuretic as an ingredient.

The suit does not include Houston Texans long snapper Bryan Pittman. David Cornwell, Pittman's lawyer, told the AP that his client isn't included because his circumstances "differ substantially from the men who used StarCaps."

In the lawsuit, the NFLPA alleges both the NFL-appointed doctor and the NFL lawyer who administer the league's steroids policy knew the supplement contained the banned drug but never advised the players. It alleges they breached their duty to the players and endangered their physical well-being.

"It's just common sense that someone shouldn't be punished in those circumstances," David Feher, a lawyer for the union, told The Associated Press.

The union has asked for a hearing Friday for a preliminary injunction so the five players can play this weekend. Feher said the hearing hadn't been scheduled as of Thursday morning, and that it wasn't immediately clear which judge would handle it.

NFL.com