Posts tagged CharlesGrant at FanHouse

Great news for Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints fans. Maybe.

A federal judge has blocked the suspensions of five players, including Vikings Pro Bowl defensive tackles Pat and Kevin Williams. The five were banned for the last four games of the NFL regular season after testing positive for a banned diuretic over the summer and eventually having their appeals heard and denied.

The legal process started Wednesday, when the Williamses (not related) took their case to a district court in Minneapolis. There they convinced a judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the suspensions and allowing the two to return to practice.

Both tackles have returned to practice, and actually were at the Vikings' facility Friday instead of at the hearing over this latest legal action.

Thursday, the NFL Players' Association sued on behalf of the Williamses and the three affected Saints players, which include defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith, along with running back Deuce McAllister.

As expected, the NFL Players Association has filed suit in federal court asking that suspensions of six players be overturned.

From the Associated Press story via Access Vikings:

The NFL Players Association is suing to block five of the six player suspenions for violating the league's anti-doping policy. The suit field in federal court is on behalf of Kevin and Pat Williams of the Vikings and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints. The five players were suspended for testing positive for a banned diuretic that can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The diuretic was in a supplement that did not list the diuretic as an ingredient.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports the union is going to ask for a ruling by Friday, meaning that the involved teams are left twisting in the wind regarding the availability of their players.

Houston's Bryan Pittman isn't included in this lawsuit.

This filing comes less than 24 hours after a Twin Cities judge issued a temporary restraining order to block the suspensions of the two involved Vikings.

The NFL has suspended six players for four games apiece for using a banned substance.

The players are Saints defensive linemen Charles Grant and Will Smith, Saints running back Deuce McAllister, Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams and Texans long snapper Brian Pittman.

The players all tested positive for the banned substance Bumetanide. They all appealed the suspensions, saying that Bumetanide is an ingredient in the over-the-counter supplement Star Caps, and that the NFL did not tell players that Star Caps is banned. But the NFL turned down their appeals.

Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jackson was not suspended even though it has been reported that he also tested positive for Bumetanide. The NFL did not explain why Jackson was not suspended.

UPDATE: The NFL's official announcement is below.

When Paulie returns home from a stressful hideaway from nosy police on "The Sopranos", his subconscious asks the question, "When my time comes, tell me -- will I stand up?" The Saints are returning home tonight from a stressful and unusually lengthy road trip (including one of the infamous non-home "home games" the league is so fond of handing them), and if they're not asking themselves that question -- will we stand up? -- their fans surely are.

When the team left the Superdome for the last time, 43 whole days ago, they had put the finishing touches on a dominant win over the Raiders to even their record at 3-3. If they could leverage that win into success on the road, they could make a serious run in the NFC.

But a lot can happen in 43 days, and a lot did. The team went 2-2, continuing to be consistently inconsistent, making tonight's game essentially a must-win for playoff hopes. StarCaps entered the general sporting lexicon. Mike McKenzie and Charles Grant, among others, were put on the IR. They've used two kickers and three punters. And Drew Brees threw for 1,258 yards, which is more than Ryan Fizpatrick has thrown all year and not too far behind Kerry Collins' season total.

Some other things that have happened in the eternity since the Saints last played in the Superdome:

I'm from New Jersey and have seen every episode of The Sopranos, so I like to fancy myself an expert in the field of keeping information "in the family." Roger Goodell, apparently, is not.

Time and time again, the shroud of privacy that the NFL promises its players in certain situations turns out to be as thin as tissue paper; players are held to the tightest-lipped of standards while seeing that courtesy unrequited with every bolded headline exposing a player's "private" matters.

We got a repeat lesson on this hypocrisy this week, when four of supposedly 15ish players -- Saints Deuce McAllister, Charles Grant, and Will Smith along with Texan Bryan Pittman -- were outed as having tested positive for a diuretic that resides on the league's banned substance list. Results of these tests aren't supposed to be made public.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7

It was exactly a week ago today that I guessed that the Saints would announce a contract extension for defensive end Will Smith before the week ended. I was a few days late on that prediction, but I won't let that stop me from giving myself dap (do the kids still say that?) in noting that the deal was announced today. And Smith is a very rich man.

The extension calls for Smith to earn up to $70 million over six years, with $26 million in guaranteed money. The deal places him third on the list of highest-paid ends behind Jared Allen and Dwight Freeney, but Smith's deal isn't far behind either of those two. It also trumps the seven-year, $63 million deal with $20 million that linemate Charles Grant got a summer ago. So was it worth it?

Well, who knows. Smith was on his way to being a premiere pass-rusher before fattening up and playing poorly last year. New line coach Ed Orgeron is trying to install a scheme much like the Giants' (who isn't?), which relies on lighter, faster linemen, so Smith will have the opportunity to remind everyone that he's got the ability. Whether he takes advantage remains to be seen.

Either way, from a talent, PR, and chemistry standpoint the Saints couldn't afford to see Smith walk after this year, and they had/have plenty of cap room. But with the money tied in its ends, the team will be hearing some deserved scorn from its fanbase if they're not a terror for quarterbacks.

I noted that Will Smith's attendance at last weekend's minicamp was a good sign that he and the team are close to finalizing a contract extension, or at least negotiating in good faith.

I now am optimistic that a formal announcement will come sometime this week, perhaps even later today. Smith reported on WWL radio last night that he didn't have any good news to report on the contract front but that he might in the near future. Likewise, Sean Payton, in response to a question about whether Smith's contract had been "sorted out," said, "...when the time comes there will be an announcement," indicating it's more about the when than the if.

The subject of the extension is a divisive one. After getting $63 million last offseason, Charles Grant practically disappeared. Smith will surely command even more, especially with big money deals to Dwight Freeney and Jared Allen since. Smith's a very good player, but it remains to be seen whether he deserves the top-tier pay he will surely get.

On the other hand, he is the team's best defensive player and you can't let a guy like that walk when you're close to rebuilding that unit. The Saints are also around $25 million under the cap, which gives them plenty of room to sign all of their rookies and lock up Smith (and Marques Colston). So the money's there.

Either way, whether you're in favor of the extension or not, it's happening. And probably soon.

Charles Grant was involved in an altercation that ended with a knife in his neck and a pregnant mother shot to death in February. Though Grant's role in the incident was never defined, investigators practically absolved Grant of any and all blame in the woman's murder. That was three months ago and nothing has been heard of it since. Seemed like that would be that.

But it's not. Early County, GA has charged Grant with involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor fighting charges. In Georgia, involuntary manslaughter when paired with a misdemeanor automatically becomes a felony, which faces a one- to 10-year prison sentence.

It's still unknown exactly what Grant is being charged for, but the fact that he avoided a felony murder and feticide charge, unlike Laquient Macklin, is significant. It seems like they're charging Grant of simply being in a fight that eventually resulted in a murder. That may seem trivial, but the context of the charge certainly matters. Though I'm no expert and still await the eventual avalanche of details, I'd be surprised if Grant gets any jail time.

Whether the league is as lenient, and how a potential trial would interfere with his season, however, remain to be seen.

After watching Charles Grant get a $63 million dollar deal last offseason, and entering a contract year, Will Smith is skipping offseason workouts because he wants a new deal.

"I think for him it's wanting to get a new deal and hey, all parties want that. It's just a matter of sorting through and arriving at the right number."

"...He understands and his representation understands the business side of this and hopefully it will be something that's resolved sooner than later."

If Smith really understands the business side of this, he'd realize that he's in no position to demand a big payday after woefully underperforming last year. He'd also understand that with new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron emphasizing lighter, quicker linemen, Smith has a good chance of restoring his reputation as a great pass-rusher, giving him more leverage next offseason with the Saints or someone else.

Likewise, the Saints should adopt a "show me" philosophy with Smith, holding off until next year while developing a contingency plan in case they decide to let him walk in '09.

I feel pretty confident that the Saints will extend Smith this offseason, but I don't think it's the smart move for either side.