Vikings player says contract barred diuretic use

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Vikings defensive lineman Kevin Williams testified Wednesday that his contract barred last-minute tactics to lose weight, including the use of diuretics like the one that got him in trouble with the league.

Williams, testifying for a second day in his closely watched labor dispute with the NFL, acknowledged under cross-examination that his contract included a clause barring last-ditch efforts to meet a weight target, including diuretics, a steam room or fasting.

“Your focus was making sure you made the weigh-in, correct?” NFL attorney Joe Schmitt asked. Williams said yes and later said the Vikings had withheld $60,000 of his bonus as a result of the case.

Williams and fellow defensive lineman Pat Williams have both said they took an over-the-counter supplement called StarCaps in hopes of reaching a weight target the next day during training camp in 2008. Meeting the target would have resulted in a $400,000 bonus.

Both Williamses, who are not related, tested positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide, which can mask steroids, though neither player is accused of taking steroids. StarCaps contained bumetanide but did not list it as an ingredient on the label.

The Williamses sued the NFL for unspecified damages and attorneys' fees. The players contend the NFL knew StarCaps contained bumetanide and had an obligation to tell them under state law. Among the issues to be settled at trial is whether the NFL has to follow Minnesota labor law when it comes to drug testing.

Kevin Williams testified that he probably is missing out on marketing opportunities such as football camps because of publicity over the positive doping test. But under Schmitt's questioning, Williams had trouble putting a dollar figure with his complaint; he could not say if he was making more or less than $50,000 for those events in the offseason before he tested positive.

Asked by Schmitt if he had suffered any emotional distress, Kevin Williams said: “Not anything I need to take medication for.”

Williams also testified that he told his wife, his agent, head coach Brad Childress and perhaps an attorney that he had tested positive. Williams repeated that he did not tell the media.

“I haven't told anyone other than on a need-to-know basis,” Williams said.

Just who leaked the test results for the Williamses is an issue at trial. The players say the league leaked the results in violation of Minnesota law, a claim the NFL denies.