Those Lucky Willliams Boys

[Fritz]

What if Zygi moves the team to LA in the middle of the night in a big ol' moving van?

Are the Williams guys still protected since they took the starcaps in Minnesota?

[Freak Out]

Sticking it to Goodell with a technicality....anyone think the vikes might be on the short end of some bad officiating this year?

No "the officials love me and want to protect me"

WTF? Does that guy wearing an scuba mask most of the time or what?

[MJZiggy]

All that hair and he has no eyebrows...

[Rastak]

so, can viking players now take banned substances and not have to worry about getting suspended by the nfl?

or is it this just an individual case?

Not at all....if Minnesota state law is not violated in the enforcement there is no issue. It's how it all went down. They need to clean this up in the next CBA, and they players need to get an independent arbitrator to adjudicate these issues because having the NFL guys who find the players guilty also being the appeal judge ain't gonna cut it anymore.

[MOBB DEEP]

The Williams bros. play defense

Yeah, talk about misinformation...

[Rastak]

Having read through almost the entire ruling there was some interesting stuff in there......I have read several times that players testing positive a couple years earlier were NOT suspended despite those players doing the exact same thing.

From page 30 of the ruling.

Dr. Lombardo
testified that, in 2006, he did not refer any of the players who tested positive for
bumetanide for discipline

Sometime between
December 2006 and the start of the 2007-08 NFL season, Birch directed Dr.
Lombardo to forward for discipline all positive test results for diuretics.

Dr. Lombardo testified that, absent
Birch’s directive prior to the 2007-08 season, Dr. Lombardo would not have referred
any of the five players involved in this case for discipline as a result of their positive
test results for bumetanide. (No. 09-2249, Appellant App. 233-34.)

That's real consistent.

[pbmax]

I guess MN has jurisdiction even for away games, as the fatties are employed in the state on MN.

That's an interesting point. Obviously the Vikings have an unfair advantage over other teams in the NFL.

Oh c'mon. The NFL didn't invent interstate commerce. The NFL blew this one, and apparently has been blowing it ever since the first CBA was negotiated. (If that language was included at some point, to bypass State Courts, I doubt it just fell out of subsequent agreements)

The difference now is that two players with a cause (has happened before) and with a boatload (Viking pun) of money (a newer development) had reason to challenge the CBA on this point. The fact that this legal argument wasn't even the chief leverage point of the original litigation is why you pay so much money to lawyers to cover all the bases.

I am finding it hard to fulminate over a small advantage that was won by millionaires over billionaires. In a small and unrelated way, I am glad the players won. The NFL and its fans need to be reminded occassionally that the league does not know what it doing all the time. TV ratings, new stadiums and broadcast deals tend to leave everyone suffering from a Patriot effect. --If you are winning, then everything you do is correct and the right call.

It also serves as a reminder to all the players, owners and fans exactly the cost of assigning personal rights away in the CBA. I think most players were surprised to know that the league could know about tainted supplements, but take only half steps to let them know about it. Its a reminder that while everyone should be pulling in the same direction, the complicated legal maneuvering over an issue like the CBA and drug policy makes the two parties adversaries, when they should be partners.

[Rastak]

PB nails it. It should be a cooperative effort since these steroids do damage to the union members themselves in addition to damaging competitive balance in the league. In addition, the fact the NFL freely admits players do NOT work for the NFL but for member franchises this entire issue could have been anticipated.

This should have been settled out of court before it got this far. This should have been considered during the last CBA negotiation and it will be a consideration during the current talks.


The union agreed to let the NFL be judge and jury but perhaps the NFL got a bit carried away with that sole power. Reading that ruling the NFL comes off as completely arbitrary in it's enforcement then acts surprised and outraged when called on it.

[pbmax]

so, can viking players now take banned substances and not have to worry about getting suspended by the nfl?

or is it this just an individual case?

So until the CBA is renegotiated they can continue to take the thing that almost got them suspended as long as they are employed in Minnesota? DAYUM!

I don't think so, though we don't know yet. And we won't know for certain until the State action is finished. But one of the State laws involved maintains that you cannot test and discipline for substances that are legal to be used in an employee's off hours.

While I am sure there are a number of masking agents that this may call back into play besides diuretics, this wouldn't allow steroid use (outside of a doctor's prescription) marijuana or opiates (outside of a prescription).

StarCaps contained a controlled substance, one that cannot be taken without a doctor's orders. Unless they can find a manufacturer doping another supplement, they would be out of luck.

[MOBB DEEP]

New Orleans defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith are expected to be suspended next week

Did Carlton supply the caps?

[MOBB DEEP]

My boy just texted me that the Saints' Smith and Grant WILL NOT be suspended at this time

Anyone know why?

[red]

guess goodell figured it was wrong to suspend those two guys while the other two would be getting off scott free

seems fair to me

[MOBB DEEP]

Yeah, I just read Goodells statement and u r right

[Rastak]

guess goodell figured it was wrong to suspend those two guys while the other two would be getting off scott free

seems fair to me

Red,

How do you feel about them letting all the guys go in 2006? Same banned substance, same circumstances, no suspensions.

NFL is good at applying the rules subjectively on the fly so this does fit right in. To be honest, it's the right thing to do after their statements regarding the federal court's ruling.

[ThunderDan]

guess goodell figured it was wrong to suspend those two guys while the other two would be getting off scott free

seems fair to me

Red,

How do you feel about them letting all the guys go in 2006? Same banned substance, same circumstances, no suspensions.

NFL is good at applying the rules subjectively on the fly so this does fit right in. To be honest, it's the right thing to do after their statements regarding the federal court's ruling.

No, its not the RIGHT thing it is the equitable thing!!! All should be suspended but Minnesota law stops that from happening.