Minnesota judge to rule Thursday in drug suspensions case of Vikings Kevin and Pat Williams

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Minn. judge to rule Thursday in Williamses case

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota judge says he will issue his decision Thursday in a closely watched lawsuit by two Minnesota Vikings challenging their four-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s anti-doping policy.

Clerks for Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson said Wednesday that he will rule after more than a year and a half of legal wrangling.

The NFL tried to suspend defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams in 2008 after they tested positive for a diuretic that’s banned because it can mask the presence of steroids. They say they didn’t know it was an unlisted ingredient in the StarCaps weight-loss supplement they took.

The players contend the NFL broke Minnesota law when it applied its anti-doping policy. The NFL has argued that teams employ their own players and called the lawsuit a “state law end-around that can undermine all anti-doping policies in sports.”