NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that even though Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams is no longer appealing the StarCaps case, the league won't decide if a suspension will be pursued until the entire case is closed.
That's because Williams' teammate, nose tackle Pat Williams, is taking his case to the state Supreme Court after a Feb. 8 ruling in which the Minnesota Court of Appeals declined to block the NFL's suspensions of the Williamses for taking a banned diuretic. Kevin Williams declined to further pursue the case, which began in December 2008, earlier this month.
"We'll wait until the litigation is done before we make a decision [on suspending the Williamses]," Goodell said following his news conference that wrapped up the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans.
Pat Williams, 38, is a free agent. It could take three months for the state Supreme Court to decide whether to even review the case. That means if the court does take the case, both Williamses almost certainly would be assured of playing another year.
Goodell also talked about the Vikings stadium issue.
"All efforts are to keep the team there," Goodell said when asked about the NFL's concerns if a stadium bill isn't passed in this legislative session. "I think there's some urgency to having the stadium addressed both in the short term and the long term. We have a short-term issue with the Dome itself, a long-term issue with getting a solution to that."
Goodell said he would be "more than happy" to make a trip to the Twin Cities to help in the case and said he has been in touch with Ted Mondale, who is chair of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.
As for the ongoing lockout, Goodell expressed optimism after two days of meetings with owners. The league and its players appear headed for an April 6 hearing in federal court in St. Paul.
