On Friday, the NFL reacted to the appeals court decision in the StarCaps case by complaining that the players union failed to support the league’s steroids policy.
The union has now responded.
“The Players objected to a system where the NFL can withhold information from
its
players and nonetheless punished the players for some something about which
they
were unaware,” said the NFLPA in a statement. “What the NFL dismisses as mere silence, Players challenged in the pursuit of
fairness. Nonetheless, the NFL knows that the Players continued to seek a
mutual resolution of this issue up until this decision. The NFL’s concern for
uniformity is as important today as it was before the 8th Circuit’s decision. We are reviewing the decision, but we continue to welcome the opportunity to
discuss a resolution that is fair to all Players.”
We agree with the union on this one. The attack on the steroids policy was fueled by the fact that the NFL knew an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement had been secretly spiked with a prescription diuretic, but the NFL failed to specifically warn the players of this fact. That reality has troubled us from the first moment we learned of it, and that reality alone should prompt the NFL to work with the union to come up with a solution to this problem that allows all players who tested positive for a banned substance because they had taken StarCaps to avoid suspensions.
It’s possible that such talks are occurring, likely because because the NFL realizes that there will be a huge outcry from Saints (and Packers and Bears) fans if Pat and Kevin Williams of the Vikings are not suspended and Saints defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith are suspended for engaging in identical conduct.
The other guy who’s getting screwed by this situation is former Saints running back Deuce McAllister. He has been unable to find a job, likely due to the presumption that he’ll eventually be suspended four games. As a practical matter, he already has been suspended one game, and counting.
