For a 3-4 team with preseason Super Bowl hopes, the hits just keep on coming.
Pro Bowl DTs Kevin and Pat Williams have both been named in the NFL's recent "water pill" scandal, and Minnesota faces the grim future of losing each player to four-game suspensions, a situation that would wash away any remaining hope for the season.
While not alleged to have taken any performance-enhancing drugs, the run-stuffing duo has been accused of taking the so-called "water pills," classified under the NFL's drug policy as a masking agent for their ability to wash steroids and other PED's from the body and thus putting them in danger of the suspensions.
The Vikings do have a glimmer of hope, however. Several of the other players may file a class-action lawsuit against the maker of the water pill, as the banned substance they tested positive for (Bumetanide) is not listed as an ingredient on the label of the pills they were taking (StarCaps).
The question would be if the suit could be filed and heard quickly enough that the NFL would be able to put off suspensions as part of the appeal process.
If Minnesota does lose the duo, their replacements would have big shoes to fill and no easy tasks ahead. Ellis Wyms and Fred Evans are the immediate backups, with rookie Letroy Guion the only remaining DT on the roster. With stud rookies (Houston's Steve Slaton and Chicago's Matt Forte), dynamic duos (JAX MJD and Fred Taylor, Tampa's Graham and Dunn), and a big bruiser (Giants' Brandon Jacobs) left on the schedule, the Vikings are in for some tough games ahead.
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