MINNEAPOLIS -- The lawyer for Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams said Tuesday that the players are being improperly singled out by the NFL for extra steroids testing.
Attorney Peter Ginsberg said he filed papers Monday in Hennepin County District Court asking Judge Gary Larson to say the NFL can't treat the Williamses differently from other players while the long court battle over their suspensions continues.
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| Christian Petersen / Getty Images |
| Vikings DTs Kevin Williams (left) and Pat Williams face four-game suspensions from the NFL because of positive drug tests, but a state judge's ruling awaits. |
The Williamses, who aren't related, tested positive last summer for a banned drug that can mask the use of steroids. They took the weight-loss supplement StarCaps, which didn't list the diuretic bumetanide on the label. The NFL has acknowledged that it knew StarCaps contained the banned drug, and the players say the league wrongly failed to share that information.
The players were never accused of taking steroids, but the league's policy is that players are responsible for knowing what they're taking. The NFL says it intends to enforce the Williamses' four-game suspensions at the start of the upcoming season, though the players are fighting that.
Ginsberg alleged that the increased testing amounts to retaliation against the defensive tackles and violates both the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs and state law. He said he's still trying to get the testing records to be sure, but he said it appears the Williamses have each been tested more than six times since the Pro Bowl and that the frequency has increased.
"They (the NFL) seem to be testing them about three times a month, if not more, which is far in excess of what the testing policies allow," Ginsberg said. "... It's not being done randomly. Kevin and Pat are being singled out."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello denied that the league is retaliating against the Williamses, but he declined to comment on how often they've been tested.
"We have taken no punitive action against the players," Aiello said.
Under the NFL's steroids policy, players who fail drug tests are subject to ongoing testing.
Last month, a federal judge dismissed most of the Williamses' claims against the NFL but sent two remaining claims back to state court. Both the NFL and the NFL Players Association are appealing different parts of that order to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
On Tuesday, the NFLPA asked the appeals court to speed up the appellate process and consider the issue before the 2009 season opener, scheduled for Sept. 13. If the case isn't expedited, the NFLPA asked that the court issue an injunction so the Williamses and three other NFL players don't have to serve their suspensions until the case is resolved.
The three other players who face suspensions are New Orleans Saints defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith and running back Deuce McAllister, who was released by the Saints after the 2008 season and is a free agent.
As for Larson, he has several complicated legal issues to sort out in coming weeks -- including whether to stay further proceedings in his court while those appeals are considered and whether to decide that an earlier stay against enforcement of the suspensions remains in place or to issue a new stay.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
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