Fate of Kevin and Pat Williams could be finalized by Tuesday

The Vikings have been waiting to learn the fate of Kevin and Pat Williams since the Pro Bowl defensive tackles went to New York on Nov. 20 to appeal their four-game suspensions for testing positive for a banned diuretic that can serve as a masking agent for steroids.

The suspensions could be finalized by Tuesday, according to a Sunday report by Fox's Jay Glazer. If they aren't handed down by then, they aren't likely to be imposed at all because only four regular-season games remain and the NFL wants any potential action to apply to this season.

If the league suspends the players, things could get ugly. Seven players now face suspensions in this case, which involves a product known as StarCaps. Unbeknownst to the players, it contained an NFL-banned product known as bumetanide.

According to Glazer, "Sources have told me that [the players potentially facing suspensions] have information that at least two high-ranking NFL members knew that there was an illegal substance called bumetanide in these StarCap pills and didn't tell the players and didn't tell the NFL players association.

"If the players are still found guilty, they are going to file a temporary restraining order in another jurisdiction. They'll also file suit not just against [the manufacturer of] StarCaps but against the National Football League as well as the individuals who withheld this information."

While the Williamses had their appeals heard on the same day, they were held separately. Neither has commented on the hearings.

California-based Balanced Health Products, which manufactured StarCaps, already has had a class-action lawsuit filed against it in the Superior Court of California by Atlanta Falcons nose tackle Grady Jackson, who, like the Williamses, is appealing a suspension.