It’s all about money.

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams finally admitted they used the banned StarCaps product to receive $400,000 in incentive bonuses. To be eligible for that reward, they have to meet a specific weight during several weigh-ins carried out throughout the year, according to Minneapolis Star Tribune.

This information was included in a letter sent by the NFL to Williamses’ lawyer in response to the players’ appeal to nullify their four-game suspensions.

The letter was sent by NFL executive vice president Jeffrey Pash on Dec. 2 to Peter Ginsburg, lawyer for the Williamses, denying their appeal of the suspensions. According to the document, the players tested positive “on or about July 26″ and were advised by letter two months later. They appealed, and at their appeal hearing Nov. 20, both players said they took StarCaps “on more than one occasion” the night before a scheduled weigh-in. The supplement contained the banned diuretic known as bumetanide.

According to the letter, both Pat and Kevin Williams get their bonuses if they are at or below their prescribed weight 11 times during the year (eight during the season, three off-season). That weight clause, however, provided that the players “would not engage in any ‘last-minute weight reduction techniques,’ which included ‘use of diuretics.’” Pash also wrote “I accept the representations of both players that they did not use steroids.”

The Williamses, which are not related, were among the six players who were suspended for violating NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. The other players were Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith, of the New Orleans Saints; and Kevin Vickerson of the Tenessee Titans.

All players, except for Vickerson, were allowed to rejoin their teams when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against their suspensions

It was the expected outcome of the doping controversy in the NFL, and yet the suspension of six players merited a ‘breaking news’ spot in various media networks.

On Dec. 2, NFL issued the suspension to running back Deuce McAllister and defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans; defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams of Minnesota; and long snapper Bryan Pittman of Houston. All players, except for Pittman, tested positive for bumetanide, a loop diuretic considered to be a masking agent for anabolic steroids. The six players were suspended for four games without pay.

“I definitely was not trying to cheat in any form,” McAllister told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I tried to do everything the right way.”

Pittman also appealed to his fans. According to an ESPN report, Pittman did not use StarCaps but tested positive for another banned diuretic.

“I want the people and the fans to understand that I was not trying to mask steroids or any banned substances,” Pittman said according to Houston television station KRIV.

“I thought I took the proper procedures and methods by getting a doctor’s authorization to take the diuretic,” Pittman said, according to the station. “The diuretic I took did not dilute any urine specimen, which is what a player does when they are trying to mask something. The NFL toxicologist confirmed there was nothing else in my specimen other than the diuretic.”

Atlanta’s Grady Jackson, the seventh player who also tested for bumetanide, is still awaiting decision. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Jeff Pash, the league’s chief counsel, had asked for additional information on Jackson’s case.

Jackson has filed a case against the maker of the weight-loss system which reportedly contained the banned substance for “false advertising and unfair business practices.” The company did not name the diuretic as one of the ingredients of its over-the-counter supplement.

Minnesota Viking Kevin Williams and Pat Williams met with NFL officials Monday to appeal their four-game suspensions for testing positive for a masking agent.

New Orleans Saints trio – running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith – meanwhile are expected to likewise appeal on Tuesday for the similar offense.
All five players tested positive for bumetanide, a loop diuretic which is reportedly used to hide or mask use of anabolic steroids.

One of the most likely grounds for the players’ appeal cases was they accidentally ingested the prohibited compound when they took the StarCaps weight-loss pills. The manufacturers of said weight-loss pill state that their product contained all natural ingredients and does not list bumetanide as an ingredient. Presently, the company is suspending the sale of its products because of the controversy.

The manufacturers of StarCaps advertised their product as ‘all natural supplement’ and do not list bumetanide as one of its ingredients. However, a study conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Utah found out that the StarCaps pills indeed contained bumetanide. The group had two male and two female volunteers as subjects. Their findings were reported to The Journal of Analytical Toxicology in late 2007.

Aside from the players involved, sports observers are also awaiting what will be the league’s decision on the appeal cases. NFL is explicitly clear with this policy: “The use of so-called ‘blocking’ or ‘masking’ agents is prohibited by this policy. These include diuretics or water pills, which have been used in the past by some players to reach an assigned weight. Players are responsible for what is in their bodies.”

Something’s eerily not right here.

You got an advisor that is supposed to “advise” you on important things, especially if your health and well-being is at stake. And if he fails to “advise” you of such things, then he’s not doing his job and deserves to be kicked out.

This seems to be the case with Dr. John Lombardo, NFL’s advisor on anabolic steroids and related substances.

According to reports, Dr. Lombardo knew that the StarCaps supplement was spiked with bumetanide and yet chose not to advise the players of this fact. This came up during his testimony on the appeal hearing of three New Orleans Saints players.

Reportedly, the good doc got some sublime reason for doing this.

From the AP:

(Atty. David) Cornwell said in an e-mail that Lombardo testified that he learned in late 2006 that StarCaps contained Bumetanide, a diuretic considered a masking agent for steroids. Lombardo’s reasoning, according to Cornwell, is that “he feared that a specific warning regarding StarCaps could be used as a defense to alleged violations of the steroid policy that involved weight reduction products other than StarCaps.”

Cornwell, lawyer for the three Saints players Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant, says Lombardo’s testimony proves that his clients did not take steroids.

“Dr. Lombardo’s failure to disclose what he knew about StarCaps may have exposed NFL players to the significant health risks associated with the unintentional ingestion of diuretics.  If Dr. Lombardo had notified NFL players that StarCaps contained bumetanide, Will, Deuce and Charles would have never used the product to lose weight,” Cornwell adds.

Other players who tested positive for bumetanide include defensive tackle Grady Jackson of Atlanta and defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of Minnesota.

Nikki Haskell’s famous line reads: “If I can’t do it in high heels, I’m not interested”.

The question is will she be wearing high heels when she faces possibly multiple lawsuits NFL players might heap on her dainty feet because definitely she should be interested with the suits.

New Orleans Saints’ offensive lineman Jamar Nesbit filed a lawsuit Tuesday in a New Jersey federal district court against StarCaps, a company founded by Haskell.

Nesbit’s camp alleged that the product was ‘improperly stacked with a diuretic’, a compound which is included in the NFL’s list of prohibited substance. Said diuretic is bumetanide prescribed for individuals suffering from edema associated with congestive heart failure, hepatic and renal disease, including the nephrotic syndrome.

According to Nesbit’s lawyer Brian Malloy, the Saints player is seeking $235,000 to recoup his salary lost due his four-game suspension in September when he tested positive for said diuretic. Nesbit has just returned to his team’s active roster late last month from his suspension.

Diuretics are prohibited by most major sports organizations because they are often used to facilitate weight loss via their ability to enhance rapid water loss through urine excretion. They are also utilized as masking agents, i.e. they are used to purposely block or hide the presence of illicit compounds in the system. They do this by rapidly diluting urine by increasing renal flow. The result is lowered levels of the banned substance being excreted from the body.

StarCaps has suspended the sale of its weight loss product which has been alleged to contain bumetanide. Bumetanide is a loop diuretic and is included in the NFL’s list of prohibited compounds.

The company issued this emailed statement: “We’ve received notice of the problem with the NFL. We have referred the matter to our counsels and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective. We have temporarily suspended shipping pending the result of our investigation.”

The company faces a lawsuit from Saints’ player Jamar Nesbit. Nesbit was slapped with a four-game suspension in September for violating the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. According to reports, the Saints’s offensive lineman tested positive for bumetanide and he blamed the StarCaps product for the positive test.

Nesbit’s attorney, Brian Malloy, said the product was tainted with the said diuretic. Nesbit is seeking $235,000 in lost salary from his suspension and additional damages to compensate for harm done to his reputation and for the alleged intentional, undisclosed spiking of the product with bumetanide.

StarCaps was founded by socialite and diet guru Nikki Haskell. The StarCaps dietary supplement is advertised as an ‘all-natural dietary supplement’ containing ‘a rare blend of papaya and garlic’.

Several players, prominently from the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, are currently under investigation for testing positive for bumetanide. Among the players are Vikings Pat Williams and Kevin Williams and Saints running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant.

It is now confirmed that New Orleans Saints’ Deuce McAllister and Houston Texans’ Bryan Pittman are among the several players under investigation for violating the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

There have been speculations on the identity and the exact number of players who tested positive for the banned compound bumetanide. Several media organizations have reported varying statistics – Fox 31 said it is six to 10 players while ESPN.com said the number may exceed 15. NFL is refusing to divulge any information since the players are still appealing their cases.

Deuce McAllister, however, admitted that he’s one of the ‘several’ players. The Saints’ veteran running back talked with the media after his team’s victory over San Diego in London on Sunday.

“We’ve been kind of going through this process for a while,” McAllister said. “I guess you guys just found out about it at this point. But whatever happens, that’s what’s going to happen. We’ve hired counsel. He’s going to do his job to kind of put the case together and however the NFL rules, that’s the way it will be.”

Lawyer David Cornwell, who has served as assistant general counsel to NFL, is representing several of the players involved. Cornwell, however, has only identified one of his clients Bryan Pittman, long snapper for the Houston Texans.

“Bryan did everything humanly possible to comply with the NFL steroid policy, including obtaining doctors’ written authorization to take weight loss medication. He did not use steroids,” Cornwell said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

“Thus far, the only violation of the NFL steroid policy is the breach of Bryan’s absolute right to confidentiality while his appeal proceeds. Whoever is leaking this story is attempting to put their thumb on the scale (of) justice to harm Bryan.”

Other players who have been named in several media reports include McAllister’s fellow Saints’ player Will Smith as well as Viking’s Kevin Williams and Pat Williams.

Bumetanide is a loop diuretic often used as a masking agent by users of anabolic steroids and other banned compounds.