A Hennepin County judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the National Football League, allowing the Minnesota Vikings' Kevin and Pat Williams to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions, pending another hearing expected in the new few days.
The two went to court Wednesday to block their suspensions for violating the NFL's anti-doping policy, and sought the temporary restraining order in order to continue playing with the team.
"I think it's a shame. I think it's abusive. I think that the NFL, frankly, should be ashamed of itself for how it's treated the players in this regard. This whole situation has put a real scar on the integrity of the league," said the Williamses' attorney Peter Ginsberg.
Ginsberg admits his victory in court could lead to a flood of players going to court if they don't like their punishment.
"I hope the NFL's program isn't toppled. I hope that this is a first step towards correcting some problems the program clearly has," said Ginsberg.
The NFL has several options. Thursday it will likely either ask for another hearing before the same judge or take the entire case to federal court and hope for a better outcome before Sunday.
According to a 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reporter, the Williamses were seen leaving the courthouse in Minneapolis, and were heard stating they were heading to the Viking's practice facility in Eden Prairie.
The Williamses, who have anchored a Minnesota defense ranked second in the NFL against the run, were among six players suspended by the league on Tuesday for violating the league's anti-doping policy. New Orleans Saints Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant and Will Smith also were suspended along with Bryan Pittman, the Houston Texans' long snapper.
All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids. The Williamses were suspended for four games.
"Our guys are also aware of Pat and Kevin. That's why it takes 53 guys on a team. When you go through a season you know you're going to have adversity," said Vikings coach Brad Childress.
However, the new restraining order would temporarily block part of their punishment, or at least allow the two men to play in Sunday's upcoming game against the Lions. The NFL's decision meant the Williamses would miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the two in its run defense.
If a player's team makes the playoffs, the player will be eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 29.
"That's our deal to contend with and that's why you have a team...I expect those guys that are moving in those positions, Wyms, Guion, and Fred Evans to do a great job," Childress continued.
"I know how much those guys love this team and how much those guys love what they do. Obviously this is going to be a difficult time for them, but I know those guys will root for us and will continue to go out and not have any drop of from this defense. We have guys that are more than capable of going out there and making plays and making sure we continue to stay on the winning path and make sure we get in the playoffs," said defensive tackle Ellis Wyms.
The Vikings lead Chicago by a game in the NFC North with four games left, in large part because the Williamses are considered the NFL's best defensive tackle combination.
"If anything, this will bring us together and this will make us play more as a team," said quarterback Gus Frerotte.
Last Sunday, they led a goal-line stand that kept Chicago from taking a 14-3 second-quarter lead in Minneapolis. On the first play after the Bears were stopped, Frerotte threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian, giving Minnesota a 10-7 lead it never lost - a 14-point swing.
Adolpho Birch, the NFL's vice president of law and labor policy, would not disclose during a conference call when the players tested positive.
Asked why it took until the final four games of the regular season to hand down the suspensions, Birch said it was "a function of a lot of factors."
"I think if you ask most coaches, every game is important. I don't think they'd differentiate between the first and the last," Birch said. "We do have things in place to get them done as quickly as possible. But we had to deal with the number of players involved and adjust travel schedules. We have to fit it around the players' ability to attend."
The Williamses had appealed the initial ruling, stating the banned substance Bumetanide was not listed as an ingredient in StarCaps, an over-the-counter weight-loss pill.
But in issuing the suspensions, the league reiterated the section of its policy that reads:
"You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body. Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal. ... Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances ...
"If you take these products, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take."
The NFL also said it sent two notifications about StarCaps on Dec. 19, 2006 - one to NFL club presidents, general managers and head athletic trainers and the second to NFLPA executive Stacy Robinson, who oversees the steroid policy for the union. That letter, according to the league, advised that StarCaps had been added to the list of prohibited dietary supplement companies.
"It was the league that kept from the players the fact that StarCaps contains a controlled substance that put these guys in serious medical jeopardy," Ginsberg said.
Asked if the NFL would review its policy on diuretics, Birch said the policy is reviewed every year.
"I suspect the players' association may want to look specifically at diuretics or some other issues. We'd be happy to do that with them if appropriate," he said. "I do think it's good policy. It works well. It has different aspects to it, but we will certainly listen with an open mind and if it's appropriate to make change, make changes."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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