The NFL players who got suspended recently because of tainted StarCaps supplement were not the first “victims” of the weight-loss product as reported by the Tennessean.

According to David Black, a toxicologist of a drug-testing lab in Nashville, a professional player had tested positive for the banned diuretic bumetanide in 2007. Black refused to identify the athlete but he said that athlete had requested Black’s lab to conduct a test on the StarCaps. The result? It tested positive for bumetanide.

“It took us a couple of Ph.Ds and a $300,000 piece of equipment to verify that Bumetanide was contained in StarCaps,” he said. “How is somebody supposed to know buying it off the shelf or off the Internet what it really contains? We spent an enormous amount of resources trying to understand this product.”

Black, who’s been part of the NFL’s original steroid testing program way back in 1980s, said that there are other risks bumetanide offers to athletes aside from testing positive for it and getting banned.

“Bumetanide is a potent diuretic for an athlete or someone in a situation where they might become dehydrated,” he said. “They’d be taking a diuretic without the knowledge of it. That could lead to serious health considerations. That could lead to electrolyte abnormalities, cardiovascular collapse, cardiac arrhythmias, heart attack, stroke and death.”

The World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that StarCaps contained the banned compound and reported those findings in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology on its Nov-Dec 2007 issue.

Unfortunately, NFL players are not the types who scan scientific journals on their spare time and that’s too bad for the five players who got suspended for violating NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints – collectively known as the “Diuretic Five” –  tested positive for bumetanide during training camp.

The players, however, were allowed to rejoin their teams when a federal judge in St. Paul, Minn. issued a preliminary injunction to block their suspensions.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson said he needed more time to rule on the case involving the five players.

The league apparently has known that the StarCaps contained the diuretic but chose not to inform its players

Tags: anabolic steroids, “Diuretic Five, Bumetanide, David Black, Journal of Analytical Toxicology, NFL, StarCaps, steroid testing program, U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson

Posted in Celebrities and Steroids, steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL

The five players suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances got a temporary reprieve as a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the suspension.

From Daily News Wire Services:

A federal judge in St. Paul, Minn., yesterday blocked the NFL from suspending five players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy by using a banned diuretic, clearing the way for them to play tomorrow.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said he needed more time to consider the case after hearing several hours of arguments from the league and the NFL Players Association.
Magnuson gave no indication when he would issue his written ruling, but did note there was no evidence of steroid use by the players.

“We’re not talking about steroids in this case. Period,” he said.

The five players who were suspended for four games each were Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, of the Minnesota Vikings, and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith, of the New Orleans Saints. They tested positive for a banned diuretic in the dietary supplement StarCaps.

The Williamses, however, had already secured a temporary restraining order days prior to the issuance of the injunction.

The NFL Players’ Association has sued the league to block the suspensions. NFLPA argued that NFL, particularly its medical advisor, decided not to inform players over the spiked weight-loss product.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister, Distict Judge Paul Magnuson, NFL. Kevin Williams, NFLPA, Pat Williams, StarCaps, Will Smith

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

The NFL Players Association has filed a suit against the league Thursday following the suspension of five players who allegedly breached NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

All five players tested positive for bumetanide, a loop diuretic considered to be a masking of steroids and other performance boosters. NFLPA argues that the league knew of the tainted over-the-counter supplement and withheld the information from the players.

The lawsuit was meant to acquire a temporary injunction against the suspension, allowing the five players to be eligible to rejoin their respective teams towards the end of the regular season.

The five players were Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings, and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints.

A sixth player, Houston’s long snapper Bryan Pittman, was also suspended but his case involved another type of diuretic. A seventh player, Atlanta’s Grady Jackson has not been handed a suspension; NFL’s counsel Jeff Pash had requested for additional information on Jackson’s case.

From AP:

The key issue is whether the NFL had any specific obligation to notify players and the union that it had known since at least 2006 that the weight loss supplement contained the banned diuretic. The NFL says the burden is on players to know what’s going into their bodies.

The union’s lawsuit says the NFL-appointed doctor and the NFL lawyer who administer the league’s steroids policy both knew StarCaps contained bumetanide. It alleges they breached their duty to the players and endangered their physical well-being by not notifying players.
“It’s just common sense that someone shouldn’t be punished in those circumstances,” David Feher, a lawyer for the union, told The Associated Press.

In letters to the Vikings and Saints on Tuesday, NFL executive vice president Jeffrey Pash acknowledged: “No specific advisory or other communication regarding the presence of bumetanide in StarCaps was sent to NFL players.”

But the NFL contends it’s not obligated by its agreements with the union to issue specific warnings about specific products.

The Williamses had already obtained a temporary restraining order blocking their four-game suspensions from Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson. The two tackles joined their team’s practice Thursday.

Tags: anabolis steroids, Bryan Pittman, Bumetanide, Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister, Grady Jackson, Kevin Williams, National Football League Players Association, NFL, Pat Williams, StarCaps, steroids, Will Smith

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

Whether their ingestion of a banned compound is intentional or unintentional, six NFL players will miss four games for violating the league’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

A section of the policy reads: “You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body. Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal. … Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances …If you take these products, you do so AT YOUR OWN RISK! For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take.”

The suspended players were 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.

The Minnesota Vikings is expected to take most of the brunt of these suspensions since their run defense, ranked no. 2 in the league, would no longer be formidable for the next games with the absence of the Williamses.

The case of Atlanta’s Grady Jackson, another player implicated with the doping controversy, is still pending.  According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, Jeff Pash, the league’s chief counsel, had asked for additional information in the Jackson’s case.

Jackson has filed a lawsuit against StarCaps, maker of the weight-loss product he took as a supplement. Jackson’s camp said StarCaps engaged in “false advertising and unfair business practices”, saying the company did not mention bumetanide as one of its product’s ingredients.

Excluding Pittman, all the suspended players tested positive for bumetanide and blamed the spiked StarCaps pills for their failed tests.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Bryan Pittman, Bumetanide, Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister, diuretic, Grady Jackson, Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Pat Williams, StarCaps, steroids, Will Smith

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

Grady Jackson, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle, has followed the example of New Orleans Saints Jamar Nesbit.

Jackson is also suing Nikki Haskell’s StarCaps for getting him banned for four games, the typical penalty for first time offenders of the NFL’s policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Jackson and Nesbit are just two of the several NFL players who got suspended for doping for testing positive for bumetanide. It was alleged that StarCaps diet pills were tainted with the loop diuretic.

Bumetanide is among the NFL’s prohibited compounds since it is sometimes used as a masking agent for performance-enhancing drugs including anabolic steroids.

From the StarCaps.com is this statement: “We’ve received notice of a problem with an NFL player.We have referred the matter to our counsel and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective. We have temporarily suspended shipping of StarCaps pending the results of our investigation.”

The other players who got involved in the bumetanide controversy were defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints trio Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant.

There was discussion that Grady Jackson was going to buy steroids and diuretics, but is now blaming starcaps on his problems.  Grady Jackson has been known to buy steroids in the past in the fairly open, which he shouldn’t do.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Atlanta Falcons, Bumetanide, diuretic, football, Grady Jackson, masking agent, NFL, StarCaps, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

New Orleans Saints guard Jamar Nesbit thinks he’s been wronged and wants vindication.

Nesbit filed a lawsuit against StarCaps, the company behind the over-the-counter dietary supplement allegedly spiked with the diuretic bumetanide.

The lawsuit seeks $235,000 for to compensate for his lost wages resulting from his four-game suspension. Nesbit was penalized by the NFL for violation of the league’s policy on anabolic steroid and related substances in late September this year.

StarCaps has recently suspended its sale of its controversial product.

Several other NFL players have tested positive for bumetanide and they all denied wrongdoing. They blamed the same StarCaps diet system for testing positive for the prohibited compound.

Among those implicated in the controversial doping case were Nesbit’s fellow Saints: running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant. Minnesota Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams could also face doping suspensions due to the same infringement.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Bumetanide, buy steroids, diuretic, Jamar Nesbit, NFL, Nikki Haskell, StarCaps, steroid use in NFL and sports, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports

StarCaps has decided to suspend the sale of its weight loss diet system, which is allegedly the root of the NFL controversy as several players tested positive for the diuretic bumetanide.

In an emailed statement to media organizations, the company explained: “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 statement continued.

The web site for Nikki Haskell, the founder of StarCaps, also said, “Until further notice the sale of StarCaps is suspended.”

Ms Haskell is a diet advisor/socialite/internationally recognized hostess/soon-to-be- defendant to a lawsuit filed by New Orleans Saints’ Jamar Nesbit.

Nesbit was suspended by the NFL in September this year when he tested positive for the notorious diuretic. He is now seeking a $235,000 in lost salary due to his four-game suspension and damage to his reputation.

According to Nesbit’s lawyer, Brian Malloy, the supposed to be all-natural weight loss StarCaps product was tainted with bumetanide. This diuretic is included in the NFL’s prohibited list as it is often used as a masking agent for illicit drugs like anabolic steroids.

At Amazon.com, you can find this ad on StarCaps diet product:

Lose Weight and Get In Shape! Now you can have the amazing diet secret all Hollywood is talking about. Created by the Diet Queen to the Stars Nikki Haskell, STARCAPS is the natural dietary supplement containing a rare blend of papaya and garlic. STARCAPS make dieting easy! The secret is in STARCAPS unique ingredients…its all-natural blend of papaya and garlic from the higher Andes of Peru. Each bottle is a two week supply and includes a diet booklet. BOTTLE OF STARCAPS CONTAINS 30 CAPSULES, A TWO WEEK SUPPLY STARCAPS ARE AN ALL-NATURAL DIETARY SUPPLEMENT STARCAPS ARE NOT DIET PILLS STARCAPS DO NOT CONTAIN ANY AMPHETAMINES, NICOTINE, THYROID, CAFFEINE OR EPHEDRA MINIMUM DIET RECOMMENDED ONCE WEIGHT LOSS IS ACHIEVED CONTINUE TO TAKE “STARCAPS”, IT WILL HELP MAINTAIN AND KEEP YOU FROM GAINING WEIGHT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE JUST GONE OFF POWDERED DIET DRINKS HOW STARCAPS WORKS: PAPAYA IS A DIGESTIVE ENZYME THAT METABOLIZES PROTEIN IN YOUR SYSTEM WHILE GARLIC IS A NATURAL DIURETIC DRINK BETWEEN 6 TO 8 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE POTASSIUM OR ORANGE JUICE WITH STARCAPS

Other players who have been implicated with the bumetanide controversy include Vikings defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, as well as Saints running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant.

Tags: anabolic steroids, Bumetanide, diuretic, Jamar Nesbit, masking agent for steroids, NFL, Nikki Haskell, StarCaps, steroids

Posted in steroid nation, Steroids and Anabolic Steroids, Steroids in NFL, Steroids in Sports