With no news coming from the NFL about the future of Will Smith and Charles Grant, Saints coach Sean Payton intends to play them in the season opener against Detroit on this Sunday. It is worth noting here that the two players are facing the possibility of a four-game suspension and among a handful of NFL players who have tested positive last year for bumetanide (used to mask steroids and a banned diuretic).

From Timesunion.com:

“We’re waiting to hear from the league,” Payton said. “Right now we’re proceeding with the idea that those two players are playing.”

Payton said he hoped to hear something from the league by Tuesday. Otherwise, he would not expect the suspensions to start until Week 2 at the earliest.

“Generally, (the NFL is) mindful of the preparation time it takes to bring in players to replace them,” Payton said. “I don’t anticipate that being an issue.”

Smith and Grant both practiced Monday. Payton said both looked good. They were not available when reporters were allowed in the locker room at the Saints’ training headquarters.

Currently, the Saints have only two other defensive ends on the roster: Bobby McCray and Jeff Charleston. Anthony Hargrove also played end earlier in his career and began working at that spot when the Saints opened camp, but has spent most of the preseason at tackle.

If the NFL decides to enforce the suspensions soon, Payton said the Saints also could re-sign DE Paul Spicer, who started the last preseason game but was waived Saturday when the roster was trimmed to the regular-season maximum 53.

“He’s someone who has gotten a lot of work,” Payton said. “We’ll stay in touch with him and make sure he’s staying in shape.”

It has been argued by the accused players that their suspensions are improper as the NFL was already aware of the fact that bumetanide had already been detected in the over-the-counter StarCaps weight-loss supplement and it was the NFL that failed to inform the players during a hotline to check if the supplement was allowed to be used.

Tags: banned diuretic, Bumetanide, Charles Grant, NFL, supplement, Will Smith

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