NFL clears New Orleans' Charles Grant and Will Smith to play in...

With Kevin Williams and Pat Williams playing for the Minnesota Vikings under court protection in Minnesota, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced today the league would not enforce similar four-game suspensions against two New Orleans Saints players who tested positive in 2008 for the same banned substance.

[Rastak]

Given the fact they didn't suspend ANYONE in 2006 for this exact same violation makes the NFL's fairness coments somewhat of a joke. They are already a model of inconsistency and arbitray decisions.

[Vike Mike]

THATS RIGHT GOODELL, YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT RACK IN ADMITTING THAT THESE SUSPENSIONS ARE COMPLETELY UNJUSTIFIED AND WRONG.
BACK OFF, AND LOOK AT IT AS A LEASON LEARNED.....PUT STARCAPS ON THE LIST, AND MAKE SURE FROM NOW ON WHEN YOU KNOW THAT A BANNED SUBSTANCE IS IN A DRUG, YOU NOTIFY THE PLAYERS.... P R I C K !
GO VIKINGS!

[PGF]

The NFLPA is gutless. I have already decided never to pay money to watch baseball. And I will do the same with the NFL. Money talks and BS walks and I do not want any part of it.

[oxboro]

they agreed to the collective bargaining agreement, suffer the consequences. If Zygi is truly intent on running a good clean law abing team , he would have spoken up and admitted these two players should be suspended

[James Bond]

For the love of god Goodell, please quit wasting our time with this non issue.

[NV Vikes Fan]

oxboro wrote:

they agreed to the collective bargaining agreement, suffer the consequences. If Zygi is truly intent on running a good clean law abing team , he would have spoken up and admitted these two players should be suspended

Why should they be suspended? Have you read the facts of their case?

Star Caps is a product sold to the public in retail stores. It contains a single substance banned by the NFL. However, Star Caps' list of ingredients failed to list that one banned substance, so how can you expect the Williams' to know it was in there?

Second point - Star Caps is not a 'performance enhancing' drug along the lines of steroids. It is a diuretic. Look it up. Not exactly going to make those players any stronger on the field.

The NFL tells their players, "Here is a list of products and substances you are forbidden to use:..."

Star Caps were not on that list, and are available for legal retail purchase. Add to that the fact that the illegal substance contained in Star Caps were not mentioned on the product's list of ingredients, and you think they should be suspended? No way.

The NFL should simply add the product to their list (as I'm sure they already have), and leave it be. Lesson learned.

[Mike the Vike]

Can we move on for Pete's sake! Enough already.

[richards poor almanac]

I don't think so...Mr Goodell! "I am not prepared to treat players differently....."
May I present the name "Brett Favre" to you in July of 2008? The League Rules call for you to act on a players (Bretts') application for reinstatement WITHIN 24 hours of its' filing!!!! How's come you VIOLATED that rule (in the face of the NFLPlayers Union) and delayed your action to approve or disapprove for SIX DAYS?? That deliberate offense on your part was sufficient to accomplish the chain of events that benefited the agenda of the Packers Organization and scuttled Favres' best interests by sending him a week late into the pre-season at New York. THAT delay laid the cornerstone for Favre to rush into the fray with insufficient warm-up time during his very first practice where he tore the bicep in his shoulder in his hurry to get up to speed. THAT is where the injury started. NOT half-way thru the season. What standard of "fairness" defines your actions in that case, Mr. G!?

[richards poor almanac]

One more thing,Mr Goodell. The DCA (District Court of Appeals) has ruled and afforded the Williams' protective clause. Now you throw the challenge flag out to a higher power, the Supreme Court??? Which one? The Minn or the US? Who pays for all THAT? Well, let's face it. Money is no object or you would have enough sense to LOWER ticket prices in these difficult financial times in the interest of reaching affordability for fans. Wouldn't THAT be better than 'blackouts'? Oh well, there I go, "speaking in tongues" again, with no interpreters in sight. See what I'm sayin'? I'll leave the light on "4" ya'!!

[dgp]

NFL get real you your shit sinks like everyone else

[Jack Dupp]

"Goodell said last week the NFL might appeal the 8th Circuit's ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court or ask Congress to intervene"

Mr. Goodell, don't you think Congress has more pressing matters to tend too? Time to move on!!

[Frank]

Just realize as a private organization, the NFL can make their own rules. So the next step is that if the Williams' don't sit out for 4 games, the Vikings get 4 forfeits.

[Vike Mike]

THE BOTTOM LINE STILL IS THAT THE NFL "REFUSES" TO ADMIT THAT "THEY" WERE IN THE WRONG! NO MATTER WHAT. GOODELL IS AN IDIOT AND SO ARE THE PEOPLE BACKING HIM UP!! IT WAS A CLEAR MISTAKE ON THE NFL'S PART BECAUSE THEY DID NOT NOTIFY PLAYERS OF THE ISSUES PERTAINING TO STARCAPS...OR....THEY DIDN'T KNOW EITHER.
ADMIT THAT YOU ARE WRONG!!! IT REALLY ISN'T THAT HARD, "AND" IT SHOWS INTEGRITY!!
GO VIKINGS!!!!!!!!

[Waders]

The NFL can just pisz on a spark plug on this one! It's getting totally rediculous. Wasn't justice meant to be swift and sure? This case just needs to go away but the league is too anal retentive to let it go.

[oxboro]

NV Vikes Fan wrote:

<quoted text>
Why should they be suspended? Have you read the facts of their case?
Star Caps is a product sold to the public in retail stores. It contains a single substance banned by the NFL. However, Star Caps' list of ingredients failed to list that one banned substance, so how can you expect the Williams' to know it was in there?
Second point - Star Caps is not a 'performance enhancing' drug along the lines of steroids. It is a diuretic. Look it up. Not exactly going to make those players any stronger on the field.
The NFL tells their players, "Here is a list of products and substances you are forbidden to use:..."
Star Caps were not on that list, and are available for legal retail purchase. Add to that the fact that the illegal substance contained in Star Caps were not mentioned on the product's list of ingredients, and you think they should be suspended? No way.
The NFL should simply add the product to their list (as I'm sure they already have), and leave it be. Lesson learned.

use of starcaps will mask drug use..that is the issue

[oxboro]

goodell is the best commissioner of any of the 3 major sports (hockey isnt major)..lookk at thre fiasco in baseball..barry bonds, manny, A-Rod Sosa, Macgwire, clemens etc

[Taz]

Its time to get a life people and just get over with it move on already. Lets just play football because its not going to change they would rather let convicts play ball like Vick then have good players like the Williams. So as the saying goes LETS PLAY SOME FOOTBALL.

[Former Ranger]

It's just diet pills, move on to more important things Roger.

[Frank]

The problem with the NFL's case is their failure to disclose the fact that they knew StarCaps contained a non-listed substance that was banned by the league.

If they had disclosed that from the time it became known, either these suspensions would have been served last year, or they never would have been necessary because the Williamses would have avoided taking StarCaps.

The league's insistence on imposing these suspensions despite their failure to disclose what they knew about StarCaps makes the league look like bullies. The NFL would rather play a game of 'gotcha' with its players instead of truly looking out for the players' health and the integrity of the game.

Goodell can't have it both ways: Either you reveal the knowledge you have about nutritional supplements to protect the players, or you leave it up to the players to take what they want. But you don't hide information from players who are making the effort to abide by the rules, and then turn around and suspend them for not having knowledge that you kept from them. That's bogus, and everyone except Goodell seems to realize this.

[Can]

oxboro wrote:

<quoted text>
use of starcaps will mask drug use..that is the issue

Starcaps has the POTENTAL to be and CAN be used as mask for drug or steroid use. No proof what so ever that either were masked in this case. The Williams wall never tested postive for either of them. They have been tested 13 times since with no failures for anything. The REAL issue is was the banned substance properly labeled by the manufacturere with this substance and did the NFL indentify it for the players on their list of banned substances. Obviously the courts think that neither were done properly. Get a clue Oxboro.