The suspended players of Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints can now play on Sunday’s game after a federal judge blocked the National Footbal League from imposing doping suspensions on them. They were previously tested positive for a drug often used to hide or masked steroids. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson issued a preliminary injunction Friday. The players who can now return to their respective teams are New Orleans’ Charles Grant, Will Smith and Deuce McAllister, and Minnesota’s Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. The decision of Judge Paul Magnuson does not include another NFL player, Houston long snapper Bryan Pittman.

The NFL Players Association filed a suit last Thursday after four-game bans were issued to defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints. The NFLPA’s suit questions the NFL supension on these players. They said that the NFL had a duty to warn players or the NFL Players Association that the product StarCaps contained the banned substance Butenamide. The NFLPA claimed the league’s doctors knew in 2006 that use of StarCaps could cause a player to test positive under the NFL’s anti-doping program. Moreover, NFLPA asserted that the league knew this since they already tested the product.

Starcaps is a nutritional supplement which include a diuretic substance Butenamide which is banned in NFL. Starcaps however failed to put this substance as part of the composition of the supplement.

“We challenged the suspensions in this case because we did not believe the league acted properly when it withheld important information from the players about StarCaps,” NFLPA acting executive director Richard Berthelsen said. “The league doctors under the program tested StarCaps, knew they contained a prohibited substance, but deliberately failed to inform the NFLPA or the players of that fact. So far our effort has been a successful one and we are pleased that these players can continue to help their teams make the playoffs.”

Judge Magnuson ruling means all five players will be able to practice and play for the games Sunday when the Vikings visit Detroit and the Saints play at Atlanta. “Due process requires that the Court fully and fairly review all of the submissions and the legal arguments of the parties,” Magnuson said. “That consideration is not possible in the two days that remain before the players at issue are next scheduled to take the field. Thus, due process mandates the entry of an injunction preserving the status quo to allow for the court’s review of the issues” as qouted from Yahoo Sports.

Since this is just an injunction, there is still a possibility that these players get the suspension imposed by the league. If the suspensions later be upheld, these players would only be banned for any remaining games in the regular season. It may also take effect on a playoff game or the openers of the 2009 season.

The league immediately commented on this latest development. They argued that there was no merit to the lawsuit because the league and union negotiated the league policy on steroids and related banned substances.

The Vikings and the Saints can now get off from their worries as they compete in the next game on Sunday.

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