During the neverending StarCaps litigation, which arose after Vikings defensive tackle Pat and Kevin Williams tested positive for an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement containing a prescription diuretic that also happens to be a banned substance, multiple references were made to the reality that other players previously had tested positive for Bumetanide, that they had explained they’d taken StarCaps, and that they had received no punishment whatsoever.
Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently named some names, thanks to deposition testimony that inexplicably was not properly safeguarded by the lawyers to prevent the names from being disclosed.
The players who tested positive before the league opted to crack down on StarCaps users were cornerback Nate Clements, guard Damien Woody, tackle Vernon Carey, tackle Damion McIntosh, defensive end Marquise Hill (who accidentally drowned in May 2007), receiver Jonathan Smith, fullback Damion Shelton, and fullback Patrick Pass.
Frankly, we’re amazed by the fact that the names got out. The easy solution would have been to keep the names out of the testimony, for example by using a simple code (e.g., Player A, Player B), the key to which would have been kept closely guarded by the lawyers.
It’s also possible that the lawyers agreed that the portions of the deposition transcripts containing the names of other players would be protected, via something like an agreed court order. If that’s the case, and in light of the fact that the names got out, someone could be getting their butt reamed by a man who wears a robe in public.