Hennepin County Judge Gary Larson will soon rule in the case of the two Minnesota Vikings players, Kevin and Pat Williams, who were found to have Bumetanide in their systems ("If Williamses win StarCaps case, will it help or weaken drug rules?", April 28). Bumetanide, a diuretic found in the over-the-counter supplement StarCaps, is banned under the NFL drug policy because it may mask the use of illegal steroids. The issue is whether the NFL's drug policy is subject to state regulation or whether that policy, as part of a national labor contract, is immune from state regulation, allowing, therefore, a uniform national policy free from state involvement. The defense attorney says that the NFL should be subject to the rule just as multinational corporations such as Target and IBM are and that those companies suffer no adverse effects from being subject to such rules. He couldn't be further from the truth. The NFL very much needs a uniform policy on drug use because the very integrity of its games, hence its survival, is at stake. Each player has the ability to affect the outcome of a game, and the use of illegal drugs to enhance performance cannot be allowed. If fans believe a team won because of superior drug use, confidence in the game itself would be lost. No one thinks an employee of Target or IBM using illegal drugs would have any impact on those businesses. In the NFL, with only 1,800 players, each player is critical, and a uniform policy is essential. In this case, state law should stay on the bench and allow the collectively bargained drug policy to control the game. CLARK GRIFFITH, MINNEAPOLIS ATTORNEY AND FORMER TWINS EXECUTIVE