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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is returning to
Capitol Hill next week, this time to testify about the case of two
professional football players whose suspensions for violating the
league's anti-doping policy were blocked by the courts.


      Goodell and DeMaurice Smith, head of the NFL players union, are
among the witnesses scheduled before a House Energy and Commerce
subcommittee next Tuesday, according to a witness list obtained by
The Associated Press Friday.

      The NFL had attempted to suspend Minnesota Vikings Pat Williams
and Kevin Williams for four games, but the players sued the league
in state court, arguing the NFL's testing violated Minnesota
workplace laws. The two players are not related.

      The case was moved to federal court, and the NFL players union
filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of the Williamses and New Orleans
Saints players who were also suspended.


      In May, a federal judge dismissed the union's lawsuit and
several claims in the Williamses' case - then sent two claims
involving Minnesota workplace laws back to state court. 


A judge
there had issued an injunction prohibiting the NFL from suspending
the players, and has scheduled the trial in their lawsuit for March
8.

      A federal appeals court panel last month agreed with those
decisions, essentially allowing the Williamses to continue playing
while the case proceeds in state court.

      The NFL has asked the full federal appeals court to hear the
case, arguing that federal labor law should pre-empt state law, and
that uniform standards are necessary for players nationwide.

      The Vikings players tested positive in 2008 for the diuretic
bumetanide, which is banned by the NFL because it can mask the
presence of steroids. 

The players acknowledged taking the
over-the-counter weight loss supplement StarCaps, which did not
state on the label that it contained bumetanide. Neither player is
accused of taking steroids.

      The court ruling led the NFL to allow New Orleans defensive ends
Charles Grant and Will Smith, who had also been issued four-game
suspensions, to continue playing. Both players tested positive
after using StarCaps.

      Next week's hearing is titled, "The NFL StarCaps Case: Are
Sports' Anti-Doping Programs At A Legal Crossroads?" 


Committee
Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., is concerned that the legal issues
raised in the case "could result in weaker performance-enhancing
drugs policies for professional sports," the committee said in a
statement issued earlier this month.

      Other witnesses include Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball's
executive vice president for labor relations; Michael Weiner,
general counsel of the Major League Baseball Players Association;
and Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

      Both Goodell and Smith testified before the House Judiciary
Committee this week on head injuries among NFL players.

Gallery

Congress to look into Vikings suspension case

Appeals Court clears Vikings' Williamses to play

Sports

Minnesota Vikings

Fred Frommer

Author

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will testify on Capitol Hill next week about the case of two Minnesota Vikings players whose suspensions were blocked by the courts.

NFL's Goodell to testify on Vikings suspensions

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