The StarCaps News Is Flying Fast and Furious

by Gonzo on Dec 4, 2008 6:25 AM CST in Vikings

Don't have time to discuss this now, as my car is warming up and I need to be in it shortly to get to work, but here's the latest. I'll try to get into more detail when I get home from the day job this afternoon.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the first player to get busted for using StarCaps actually happened back in 2006. . .and that said player wasn't suspended for it. If that's true. . .hoo, boy, would that look bad on the league.

The NFLPA is also filing a suit in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to overturn the suspensions of the StarCaps Five. (And I'm not slighting Texans' long snapper Bryan Pittman in this, but it's come out that he tested for Bumetanide from something totally unrelated to StarCaps.)

Before this is all over, it could end up making the Patriots' spying charges look like a parking ticket.

Enjoy the rest of your Thursday, folks, and discuss all the goings on here!

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the nfl is not going to let this drop. they will look weak. by the letter of the nfl law “you alone are responsible for what is in your body” the williams’ have no case. i strongly disagree w/ the nfl on this. a letter to the players about star caps should have been sent out instead of to gm’s and trainers. i believe we can get into the playoffs w/o the wall but i don’t think we could advance into the later rounds w/o them. suck it up and sit for 4 weeks boys, we NEED you in round 1.

wyohonky

by wyohonky on Dec 4, 2008 7:12 AM CST 0 recs

We aren't

Going to do much good if we are 1-3 or at best 2-2 without the wall. Atlanta’s turner, Giant’s Jacobs are both more than capable of cutting us up if they serve thier suspensions.

End of the day they are fighting for more than the right to play the rest of the NFL season. The League’s arbitrary handling of suspensions is ridiculous as someone else has pointed out. 3 games for cocaine and then 4 for something they’ve known contains a banned substance yet hasn’t told anyone? Yeah they are responsible for putting the pills into thier system but when a prodcut is being sold as " all natural " and does not say it contains the illict drug on the bottle. How else are they meant to know if it contained it? Hire a scientific team to investiage it? Oh thats right thats what the NFL did.

by FSUViking on Dec 4, 2008 7:57 AM CST 0 recs

Yeah, I don’t quite understand all of this to be honest. At one point, I’ve read that the league sent out flyers and whatnot to the teams in 2006. In others, I’ve read they had they information and didn’t tell anyone. Not sure which is true, but I just can’t see the Williams deciding one day to start roiding it up. I mean, they’ve obviously taken the tests before and never came back positive, why would they start now of all times?

I hate that the NFL doesn’t look at al the angles in a case like this. Its “Bam, suspended for a masking agent” to them and they don’t even bother trying to understand things from the players perspective. Honestly, I hope Kevin and Pat beat this bullshit and the Commish thinks twice about holding double standards with his suspensions.

by Frost on Dec 4, 2008 8:04 AM CST up 0 recs

And WHY did they have to wait until the final 4 games to make the suspensions? They’ve known about this since before midseason. I highly doubt they were seriously considering letting the players just walk. . . and how come McAllister and the other Saints players haven’t filed a ’suit?

by Frost on Dec 4, 2008 8:05 AM CST 0 recs

Yeah

Seems like they had to wait to see how we were doing within the league and were like," You know what, fuck the Vikings, watch this, they aren’t going to be making the playoffs now!!! ".

I mean seriously, they don’t even understand that the second this entire controversy came about the makers of StarCaps closed up shop… smells fishy to me and I am glad they have taken this to court.

End of the Day the NFL is not above the Law and they can no longer act like they are the be all and end all of disputes among players and the league. If the league is being irresponsible they have a constitutional right to bring this matter before a judge, regardless of the CBA.

by FSUViking on Dec 4, 2008 11:38 AM CST up 0 recs

Politics driving not telling the players

Today we learn that league may have purposely kept the information that StarCaps contained a banned substance secret to ensnare players and inflate the numbers to show Washington that they are strict on the steroid policy. That folks is fraud and entrapment.

WILLIAMS LAWSUIT CLAIMS SUSPENSIONS ARE MOTIVATED BY POLITICS

It also goes against the league stated policy of doing this to protect players’ health.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a Viking to raze a village.

by Luft Krigare on Dec 4, 2008 8:42 AM CST 0 recs

Wow

Yeah basically if what PFT says is true, then the NFL has been sitting on this info, info that has stated that the product a) contained the masking agent and b) the agent was toxic. Then the league is completely out of line and should be punished with punitive damages. How irresponsible of a league promoting fair play and such to then turn around and secretly keep information that could cause some of thier “employees” serious harm. That is just wrong. The more I look at this the more I see the Wall making the NFL look completely retarded.

by FSUViking on Dec 4, 2008 11:33 AM CST up 0 recs

speaking of politics

isn’t it funny how none of this is a major story on television? pretty strange that plaxico burress got found with a gun right around the time that the verdict was to be made about these players suspensions.. all they want to talk about is how nfl players screw up, and not how the players get screwed.

What up?

by snakethejake on Dec 4, 2008 9:10 AM CST 0 recs

Duh

One player committed a federal crime, another is a employee rights lawsuit. Which is bigger news?

by Robert Rence on Dec 4, 2008 9:13 AM CST up 0 recs

If PFT is right...

…then the StarCaps 5 may actually win this one and avoid suspensions. But if there’s no proof, there’s no way the Almighty NFL would ever admit that they were wrong and go back on their ruling. Personally I’d like to see the suspensions for the next 4 weeks here, instead of risking them missing a possible playoff game. We should beat Detroit this week with or without them. If we don’t, then quite frankly, we probably don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.

by ericj69 on Dec 4, 2008 12:28 PM CST 0 recs

Absolutely correct

as there’s no reason why the Vikings shouldn’t be able to go at least .500 over the last four games without Phat Pat and K.W. More pressure though will grow on the offense to keep producing points and Frazier is going to have to be very creative in his scheming. We will need both guys bigtime in any playoff game that might come about and having a one-game reprieve isn’t really in the best interest of the team.

by VikingBillArlingtonVA on Dec 4, 2008 7:42 PM CST up 0 recs

The Fraud Angle

The papers filed on behalf of the Williamses alleges the NFL steroids program is a fraud, because it’s stated objectives are fair play and player health; however, the contention is that it is administered in a manner inconsistent with those ends, and therefore is a fraud. The suit contends the true intent of the program is to make the NFL look good. If they can present evidence to prove this part of the player agreement involves fraud, then the agreement is not a valid contract and cannot be legally enforced, and the suspensions might be prevented. The NFL has decided to shine the spotlight on their players, but rather than protecting the health of these players by revealing StarCaps contained an ingredient potentially hazardous to health, it allegedly acted by asking the FDA to not reveal this fact which it knew to be true: StarCaps illegally contained an unlisted prescription drug. Turnabout is fair play. It’s time for the players and the union to put some flood lights on the NFL.

by Elgar on Dec 4, 2008 1:01 PM CST 0 recs

The public relations angle

My question is if Roger Goodell was really interested in “cleaning up the league’s image” shouldn’t he do something about the fact that one of the teams is called the REDSKINS?

by SammyG on Dec 4, 2008 1:21 PM CST 0 recs

I always wondered how that flew Sammy

When teams like the Fighting Sioux or Braves (honorable images albiet) are under fire. Perhaps because “redskins” itself doesn’t actually refer to a specific race? Who knows.

by Jepp The Viking on Dec 4, 2008 1:24 PM CST 0 recs

Most Tribes

I know many from NoDak and FLstate don’t worry about it as they honor the tribe and give it due respect. I never understood the redkins and MLB’s Indians names being titles of honor. Ask a native tribe from the area if they could honor them by renaming their team. This would be respectful.
Back on topic. This is one suit that should win on behalf of the players. I would suggest the NFL, to save face and do the right thing bargain this out. We will drop this (in this case) and let the players play if they submit to random testing once a month for 6 months. This would allow the players to show they are not hiding anything and if they were-tough nuts!
Personally I don’t see steroids being a problem with Pat or even Kevin. D linemen are often told to keep below a certain wait or be fined. Why some of the others, I’m not sure. All in all, if it didn’t state the product had a banned substance, how can you hold these guys accountable if all they did was want to lose water weight. Again, I pray that is all it was for.
Glad to be back on to bore you all. Lost my password. Couldn’t get my daily dose of DN.
Hey Gonz. I wanted to donate to that org raising money for laptops. Can we give that a Christmas Season push again?

by CitrusFLViking on Dec 4, 2008 2:38 PM CST 0 recs

I'll have to see what I can do

The Valour-IT project runs specifically from Veteran’s Day to Thanksgiving, but I’ll look into seeing what else there potentially is. I’ve been way too busy with all of this stuff going on with the Williamses and the day job and other stuff at the moment to look too much into it.

The Daily Norseman - The greatest Vikings' site on the Internet!

by Gonzo on Dec 4, 2008 5:36 PM CST up 0 recs

Duh! That was weight

by CitrusFLViking on Dec 4, 2008 2:39 PM CST 0 recs

Thanks

Keep me updated if you hear. Sorry I didn’t jump on it sooner. My memory is a little short from a serious accident so when I thought of it again, well… would still like to help Thanks for all the hard work on this site. The folks are friendly and cival. We can agree to disagree and have fun. I just look at some sites and see how childish they get then i back off and head to DN. Hope to see you on Detroit talk Sun but may have to hit the local pub to see it down here in ol" FL. Tell the gang “Citrus” says hello.
Dig this. Found some old football cards from 77. The last of Eller, Page and Marshall cards. What a Christmas suprize!

Good work Gonz

by CitrusFLViking on Dec 6, 2008 10:04 PM CST 0 recs