Vikings defensive tackle Pat Williams testified on Wednesday that he took StarCaps, an over-the-counter diuretic secretly spiked with a banned substance, to remove fluid from his body due to gout.
Pat Williams and teammate Kevin Williams are suing the league for violating Minnesota law in connection with the drug tests that detected the banned substance in their bodies. Ultimately, the players are hoping to avoid four-game suspensions imposed in 2008.
According to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Pat Williams said that a trainer with his former team, the Bills, told him that “everything was legal” with the product.
Both players testified that they shared information regarding the positive tests with their wives, agents, and coach Brad Childress. The players contend that the NFL violated Minnesota law regarding confidentiality of drug testing information by leaking word of the positive test results to the media.
Also testifying on Wednesday was Stacy Robinson of the NFLPA, who explained that no specific warning was given by the league regarding the presence of Bumetanide in StarCaps.
“On many fronts, it was very disappointing to not have that information shared with me,” Robinson said.
Per the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the players’ agents will testify on Thursday, and Vikings coach Brad Childress will testify on Friday. Thus, the slow-moving case most likely won’t be resolved before the weekend.