Judge rules for NFL, but case isn’t closed yet

Associated Press

Minneapolis

A Minnesota judge chastised the NFL on Thursday and said the league broke state law even as he handed the league a significant victory in a closely watched lawsuit by two Minnesota Vikings challenging their suspensions for taking a banned substance.

Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson said the NFL failed to notify the two players of their test results within three days, as required in Minnesota, and said an NFL official played “a game of ‘gotcha”’ with them. But he said that wasn’t enough to block the NFL’s plan to suspend the players for four games each.

The decision doesn’t necessarily clear the way for the NFL to suspend Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for part of next season, however. The judge put off a decision on whether to extend an injunction blocking the suspensions pending an expected appeal by the players. A decision isn’t expected for about two weeks.

The NFL first attempted to suspend the defensive tackles in December 2008, a few months after they tested positive for a banned diuretic that was in the StarCaps weight-loss supplement they were taking. They were not accused of taking steroids and said they had no idea the diuretic was in the supplement.

The players challenged their suspensions while their lawsuit played out in federal and state court. They got to play for the entire 2009-10 season, helping Minnesota reach the NFC championship game, where it lost to eventual Super Bowl winner New Orleans.

The Williamses’ lead attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said the decision was a victory because the judge ruled that the NFL was a “joint employer” of the players and had to abide by state law.

“The results are decidedly mixed,” he said. “All NFL players and the state of Minnesota have gained an important victory. No employer can stand above the law, including the NFL. We are obviously disappointed that, despite violating Kevin and Pat’s rights, the NFL still is threatening to suspend them.”