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The duo of Pat & Kevin Williams won an important victory in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court in their case against the NFL's suspension for use of the weight loss drug Star Caps. Baring unexpected additional court action, they appear to be set to play the entire season and have the case decided next spring.
I'm all for efforts to stop use of PED, but the league's approach in this case leaves a lot to be desired.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4464771
Good Deal. Go Vikes
I agree with you, Steve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve
Guys know EXACTLY what over the counter drugs they can take to give them the best edge, beleive me... This means you really can't suspend any players, in any sport in that state... What the league could do, is suspend them for road games though... I know you have to pay taxes in every state you play in, even on the road, so I am guessing the league could enforce their rules that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve
actually the argument is that under the CBA it is specified that players are employed by the team rather than the league. I guess this was something that the NFL was adamant about stipulating when the current CBA was put into place. It's not the league that pays these guys, it's the team. What has been put ruled so far is that the labor laws of the state in which these players are employed supercede the leauge rules.Quote:
Originally Posted by cybsball20
And really, that's kind of a no brainer. It makes sense that the NFL is not above state labor laws.
Now that doesn't necessarily mean that the Williams boys are innocent. They very well could have known what they were putting in their bodies. All it means is that there might be a loophole in the league rule, here.
Neither of the Williams had any reason to get bigger or stronger - more so the opposite. Fat Pat was banned from training camp until he lost weight. KW was focused on reducing the stress on his knees. Both seemed to have a legitimate reason to lose weight and turned to StarCaps which was not on the league's banned list despite the league knowing about the suspect ingredient for over a year. The league chose not to pass the information on the the NFLPA because they put penalty enforcement above concern for player's welfare.Quote:
Originally Posted by cybsball20
The current situation is that the federal court has ruled that the state court has jurisdiction. I would think that the league could end up losing big time if they attempt to thumb their nose at the court system by trying to enforce a road game suspension. They have a legitimate option to appeal through the US Supreme Court instead of trying to impose a strong-arm solution. They are between a rock and a hard place because the USSC is not likely to jump in and be their shining knight. They still have the option to prove their case in the state court, it's just that it would allow the players to present a legitimate defense of what they are being accused of.
The most used steroid by baseball and football players is Winstrol... It doesn't really get you any stronger but it makes you leaner and quicker... StarCaps are a known masking agent for this water-based steroid and are also basically a amphetamine...Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve
I'll take all of your comments as true as I know that you have much more knowledge on the subject than probably any of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by cybsball20
What I don't understand, however, is why the league either didn't include StarCaps on their prohibited list or at least pass on the information that they sat on.
On the subject of masking agents, all that tells me is that the analysis methods for targeted substances are inadequate. It seems hard to believe that any so-called masking agent completely destroys a listed substance. Their presence might warrant a more detailed analysis, but shouldn't automatically convict someone of wrongdoing.