Ramblin' Fan » court

Vobora Wins In Court

Justin Stine — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:09:20 +0000

Well, at least we know one NFL player who can win in the courtroom. Rams linebacker David Vobora won his lawsuit against supplement company S. W. A. T. S. today, and he was awarded $5.4 million in damages. According to the judge, “The court heard testimony that the positive drug test and resulting suspension made Mr. Vobora less marketable than other similarly situated players who have not been suspended.”

So, if you haven’t heard this story yet, pretty much what happened was Vobora wanted to start taking a new supplement, so he did his research and even called the league to verify that nothing in it was illegal. After getting confirmation, he took the substance and then subsequently failed a drug test and was handed a suspension. The good news is that his name has been cleared and eveyone know he is not a steroid user. The bad news is that the league has refused to strike the failed test from his record. According to the league, it is the player’s responsibility to know what he is putting into his body, even though he took every precaution and was deceived by the company. If there was enough evidence that the courts ruled in his favor, you would think that would be good enough for the NFL.

Rams’ Coaches ‘Surprised’ By Brief

Justin Stine — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:37:31 +0000

News broke last week the the NFL Coaches Association filed a brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals siding with the players in the current labor issue, but apparently all of the league’s coaches weren’t consulted. Since the filing, several teams have come out and said they were not informed that the brief would be filed and that they do not agree with what it contained. The Rams are the latest team to do just that, as GM Billy Devaney said today that the coaching staff was “surprised by this being filed.” Devaney went on to say that ”they assured me that they weren’t informed or consulted about it.”

I’m not exactly sure what to make out of all of this. The Rams are the seventh team to come forward so far in opposition of the brief, which means one of two things is happening here. Either the NFLCA leaders are doing whatever they want without consulting the members, or coaches realized very quickly that the owners, not the players, are the ones who sign their checks. I am firmly on the players’ side, but if I were a coach I wouldn’t be coming out and saying that publicly. Whatever the case, the coaches association needs to get their situation figured out, because it makes them look awfully bad when they file a brief in court and then several of its members say they had nothing to do with it. This lockout is bad e

Court Rules Lockout Still On

Justin Stine — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:41:01 +0000

I said last week that multiple sources said the 8th Circuit Appeals Court here in St. Louis probably wouldn’t rule on the NFL’s request to stay the ruling of Judge Susan Richard Nelson, and it turns out I was wrong. The court ruled in favor of the league today, meaning the lockout is still on and will remain on until either the two sides come to an agreement or until after the court hears the actual appeal sometime in June. This is obviously bad news for the players. The two sides were in mediation today, but it doesn’t sound like anything will happen there before the court hearing in three weeks.

Nothing is set in stone as far as a final ruling, but this certainly doesn’t look good for the NFLPA. We thought here all along that the odds were in favor of the league in this appeal, but it looks now as if all signs are pointing to the court ruling in favor of the NFL when they pass judgement in three weeks. There are some who believe that this is actually good for the fans, because they believe it will force the players to give in to certain demands in negotiations. While I want nothing more than this whole issue to be resolved, I feel for the players, and I think they are getting screwed in this whole deal. I’m on their side, but I have a strong feeling that they aren’t goi