NFL suspends 6 for doping
NEW YORK — Unless the courts intervene, the Minnesota Vikings will have to make their stretch run at the NFC North title without their two stalwart defensive tackles.
Kevin and Pat Williams, who have anchored a Minnesota defense ranked second in the NFL against the run, were among six players suspended by the league Tuesday for violating the league's anti-doping policy. New Orleans Saints Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant and Will Smith also were suspended along with Bryan Pittman, the Houston Texans' long snapper.
All six were punished for using a diuretic, which can serve as a masking agent for steroids.
The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense.
Angelo Wright, the agent for Pat Williams, said he planned to file a motion in federal court in the next 24 hours, presumably to put off his client's suspension. Tom Condon, the agent for Kevin Williams, said he hadn't yet determined what course of action to take.
A seventh player identified in reports that began surfacing in late October, Atlanta's Grady Jackson, was not suspended, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
If a player's team makes the playoffs, the player will be eligible to return to the active roster on Dec. 29.
Adolpho Birch, the NFL's vice president of law and labor policy, would not disclose during a conference call when the players tested positive.
Asked why it took until the final four games of the regular season to hand down the suspensions, Birch said it was "a function of a lot of factors."
"We do have things in place to get them done as quickly as possible. But we had to deal with the number of players involved and adjust travel schedules," Birch said.
