Court rules against players in doping case

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- An appellate court Tuesday ruled against Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Kevin and Pat Williams in their long-running legal battle against the NFL.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals decided it wouldn't grant relief to the Williamses in their efforts to fight a suspension levied against them for violating the NFL's anti-doping program.

The players contend positive results for a bumentanide -- a banned masking agent for steroids -- was due to their taking the over-the-counter dietary supplement StarCaps, whose label failed to disclose the product contained the substance.

The Williamses had gained several lower court victories before being handed the setback by the appellate court. They could choose to appeal the ruling to the Minnesota State Supreme Court.

"Today's opinion confirms the testing program did not violate Minnesota state law and vindicates the policy and procedures of the program," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We are in the process of reviewing the decision and determining our next steps."