The StarCaps Saga Continues

As you might recall, five NFL players—Kevin and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister, and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints—were suspended for four games last year after testing positive for bumetanide. Bumetanide, a diuretic, is banned under the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances (the “NFL Policy”) because it can be used to mask the presence of steroids. The players claimed that they inadvertently ingested the bumetanide when they took StarCaps, an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement. Bumetanide is not listed as an ingredient in StarCaps, but the players proved that bumetanide was present in the StarCaps they consumed. The players then appealed their suspensions to the NFL. Despite proof that the players did not intend to take bumetanide and did not know they were doing so, the NFL denied the players’ appeal because the NFL Policy makes the players responsible for whatever enters their body. As the NFL Policy sta...