Appeals court declines to block suspensions

The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently declined to block the NFL's long-fought suspensions of Vikings defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams for taking a banned substance.

The decision leaves the players to decide whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court.

From Startribune.com:

The Appeals Court said that because the diuretic the players took does not fall under the state's workplace drug-testing law, the NFL's failure to follow that law's worker-notification requirements does not give state courts a basis to prevent the league's punishment.

However, the Appeals Court's three-judge panel noted that the NFL is subject to state law when testing players for other, covered drugs, such as anabolic steroids.

"Importantly, our holding is limited to the specific facts of this case and should not be read to excuse the NFL from complying with [state law] when applicable," Judge Francis Connolly wrote.

Kevin and Pat Williams tested positive in July 2008 for bumetanide, which is a powerful diuretic that was an unlisted ingredient in the over-the-counter weight-loss supplement StarCaps.