Smith, McAllister likely to finish season

Smith, McAllister likely to finish season
December 12
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"Saints defensive end Will Smith and tailback Deuce McAllister will remain eligible to play for at least one more week and likely through the end of the regular season, thanks to a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson on Thursday.

Magnuson extended his injunction against the suspension of Smith, McAllister, defensive end Charles Grant and Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams until he can hold a full evidentiary hearing "as soon as practicable."

Magnuson suggested that the NFL and the players try to work out the dispute themselves. Barring that, he asked both parties to provide the court with a joint proposed scheduling order on or before Dec. 22.

The players were suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL's policy on steroids and related substances Dec. 2, following a lengthy appeals process. All five players tested positive in the summer for the banned diuretic bumetanide, which they claim was an unlisted ingredient in an over-the-counter weight-loss product called StarCaps.

The NFL Players Association filed a federal lawsuit on their behalf two days later, claiming that the league and the independent administrator of the league's testing program knew that StarCaps was a tainted product but withheld the information from the players. The lawsuit also claimed that the arbitrator who ruled on the appeals, league attorney Jeffrey Pash, had a conflict of interest.

Magnuson issued his initial injunction Dec. 5 after hearing preliminary arguments from both sides. After taking time to review submissions from both parties, he issued a more expansive 20-page briefing Thursday afternoon.

"I'm happy for the guys that they get to play," Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said before the start of the Saints' Thursday night game at Chicago. "We'll see what happens ultimately when there's a full hearing. We just have to let it run its course."

Grant would be eligible to play along with Smith and McAllister, but he is out for the remainder of the season with a triceps injury.

DEUCE DOWN: McAllister was held out Thursday, reportedly because of a bulging left knee that has bothered him this season.

The combination of the short week and his time away from the team because of the death of his grandfather may also have contributed to the decision."
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