From the Pioneer Express:
Judges Rule in Favor of Vikings Players; Saints Still Face Suspension
Kevin Williams and Pat Williams can ask a Hennepin County jury to overturn the NFL’s four-game suspensions for allegedly violating Minnesota drug-testing laws, a federal appeals court has ruled, clearing the Vikings defensive tackles to play in 2009.A three-judge panel with the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals today affirmed District Judge Paul Magnuson’s decision allowing the players to sue the league in state court.
The players are now free to pursue a case against the NFL in the state of Minnesota. The Williamses claim that the NFL violated "laws regulating how and when employers can test workers for alcohol and drugs." In the meantime, they are free to play the entire '09 season.
The Saints players involved in the case aren't so lucky, however. The judges determined that the league did not violate any laws in the testing of Charles Grant, Will Smith, and Deuce McAlister. All three face four-game suspensions starting next week, except McAlister, who is a free agent.
In a no-surprise reaction, Saints fans find this arrangement unfair. From Canal Street Chronicles:
So the Williams’ are getting out of this whole situation with no penalty but Charles and Will don’t? Hardly seems fair that being right and being wrong is determined by which state you live in. The good news is that the possibility of Grant and Smith serving their suspensions separately, so that the Saints are not without both of them for four games, is still out there.
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