Kevin and Pat Williams Suspension Case Goes to Supreme Court

The National Football League asked the Supreme Court for its help to overturn the decision to suspend Kevin and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings. They were suspended for four games, for allegedly violated the anti-drug policy of the league, but the NFL said that they had an agreement with the player's union which protects the players from having lawsuits filed at the state level. The Williams were given the suspension for a 2008 drug test where they were found positive for Burnetanide, a diuretic that had been banned.

The substance was an ingredient in StarCaps, a weight loss supplement, but was not listed on the label, so the players had no way of knowing the the weight loss product that they were taking was illegal. The two Williamses aren't related but are both suspended and are both Minnesota Vikings. They stated that the NFL violated Minnesota Labor Law when enforcing the policy. This is a complex case involving many factors, and while the NFL are looking for the the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of an appeals judge in the 8^th circuit, the players are suing to not be suspended.

The NFL is looking for the decision of the Supreme Court ho uphold that the rules of the CBA aren't in deference to any state laws. Part of the statement that the NFL's lawyers wrote to the Supreme Court states that the decision by the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals will destroy the predictability of negotiations and the administration of the bargaining agreements with the union, saying that this decision makes employers liable if they comply with the collective bargaining agreements and liable if they do not comply, enclosing them in a Catch-22.