Kevin and Pat Williams Win Their Court Appeal

An official judge has negated the NFL’s suspension of linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings. The NFL tried to suspend the two players as they violated the league’s substance abuse policy, however this decision should allow them to play at the start of the season.

The judge did not dismiss the case altogether but simply delayed the suspension until the case had been fully decided. The decisions also prevent the league from administering further drug tests on either Kevin or Pat. The “restraining order” was decided upon based on how much time the players would miss thanks to the suspension and due to the fact that it looks like they might be able to win their lawsuit. This is a major victory for the players and the Vikings. However this is by no means the end of the process as there are sure to be appeals, further court dates and still the possibility of a suspension.

The two players who are actually not related in any way both tested positive for a diuretic that is banned by the league last summer. The diuretic is known for being used to hide steroid use, but the brothers claim they took a supplement called StarCaps. The diuretic that was found in their system was not on the label for the weight loss supplement. The reason the players have filed a lawsuit is that the NFL claimed they were aware of the product containing the banned substance but did not share the information with other players.

While the league is sure to argue the decision and there is no final outcome on the horizon, it looks as though the players will be allowed to show up at training camp and start the season just as they would normally. That is a much better result than the proposed 4 game suspension that the NFL was planning to apply at the start of the season.