A federal judge has dismissed most of the claims by two Minnesota Vikings stars facing suspension over their positive test for a banned diuretic.
U.S. District Judge Paul A. Magnuson on Friday remanded two of the claims by Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams to state court.
But Magnuson threw out most of the Williamses' claims and dismissed a lawsuit brought by the NFL players union on behalf of the Williamses and three New Orleans Saints players also facing suspension.
Whelp, looks like the Williams Wall's luck ran out -- or, at least, is very close to running out. That sucks. I guess there's a shred of hope to be found in the fact that the case will continue in state court, but this was a tough blow dealt to Pat and Kevin and their chances of playing in the first four games of the 2009 regular season. Their attorney noted that an injunction remains in place allowing them to continue playing, but I can't say that makes me feel any more optimistic.
This development is lousy news, and even though the case will now continue in state court, I can't help but feel that last year's court challenge to the suspension merely delayed it rather than scrapped it. A shame, but there's not much you can do when a federal judge rules most of your claims against the league to be without merit.