Rams' Vobora wins $5.4M in steroid lawsuit

ST. LOUIS, June 20 (UPI) -- St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora Monday was awarded $5.4 million when a judge ruled a supplement maker negligently included steroids in its product.

Vobora was suspended for four games in 2009 after testing positive for steroids following his use of an over-the-counter nutritional supplement spray manufactured by Anti-Steroid Program LLC, also known as S.W.A.T.S.

Vobora sued S.W.A.T.S. for falsely claiming the product didn't include banned substances.

U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Sippel ruled Monday that S.W.A.T.S. had intentionally misrepresented the supplement, awarding lost compensation and $2 million for damage to the linebacker's reputation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"Vindication," Vobora told the newspaper. "That's the single word I'll continue to use. From the get-go, my lawyers and I were on the same page about that. Compensation was secondary. The number one thing was to right the ship and restore my reputation."

"This case should be a warning to all supplement companies to improve their manufacturing processes and ensure their products are steroid-free," the player's attorney, R. Daniel Fleck, said in a statement.