More than a year after the NFL attempted to suspend Pat and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings for violating the NFL Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances (the NFL Policy), litigation involving the case continues. The case took another turn last week when Judge Gary Larson, a Minnesota state court judge, handed down a 44 page opinion in response to the parties motions for summary judgment.

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In the wake of the Eagles cutting Brian Westbrook, I have a new SI.com column on the legal, ethical, and political implications of NFL teams cutting players who suffer from concussions. Here’s an excerpt:

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As the Olympics wind down, I found myself thinking about the “What’s a Sport” game as applied to one of the darlings of these games–curling. It seems to have been discovered in Vancouver, as the public has learned of the game’s rhythms (somewhat comparable to baseball), its shot-making and strategy (comparable to golf, with some physics thrown in), and the attractiveness of many of the female curlers (several of whom, from European nations, posed nude for fund-raising calendars). And it was a staple of afternoon cable coverage during the first week, so it was easy to find.

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I have an SI.com column on the legal implications on the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili. Here’s an excerpt:
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Sports attorney Jay Reisinger has a thoughtful reaction to Tiger Woods’s apology:
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The Chicago Cubs have one of the most interesting team histories in salary arbitration. Their hearing yesterday with Ryan Theriot is only the sixth in the history of the franchise. It is also the first for general manager Jim Hendry. The Cubs hold a 3-2 edge over their players. The fact that they are one of the teams with the fewest hearings is interesting enough. To me, however, what is really fascinating is the list of the five players in the group that Theriot is joining: Andre Dawson, Shawon Dunston, Leon Durham, Mark Grace, and Bruce Sutter. What a group of players! Here is a list of the number of years that these five players spent in the major leagues: Dawson - 21; Dunston - 18; Durham - 10; Grace - 16; and Sutter - 12. The analysis could go on in so many directions.

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Mike DiGiovanna reported this morning on the Los Angeles Times Sports Blog that Jeff Mathis is in Tampa today for his hearing with the Angels. Mathis, who received $450,000 for his services last year, is seeking $1,300,000. The Angels offered $700,000. Those figures create a midpoint at $1,000,000. Mathis is in the three-four year service group, and his career batting average is right at the Mendoza line (.200). If you want a good explanation of the Mendoza Line, see Paul Dickson, The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, 540-541 (Third ed., 2009). Mathis split time last year with Mike Napoli, who played in 114 games to 84 for Mathis.

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The Houston Astros and pitcher Wandy Rodriguez held baseballs fifth hearing of the year today. The Astros offered Rodriguez $5,000,000 while the pitcher requested $7,000,000. The gap of $2,000,000 demonstrates a significant disagreement between the two parties over the leftys value. The midpoint is $6,000,000. Rodriguez was paid $2,600,000 in 2009 after exchanging figures with Houston ($3,000,000-$2,250,000), and he is in the service group of players between four and five years. Four of the strongest starters in this group signed multi-year contracts: Felix Hernandez (Seattle), Edwin Jackson (Arizona), Josh Johnson (and Justin Verlander (Detroit). The one-time star of this group, Chien-Ming Wang just signed a $2,000,000 deal with Washington this week. Joe Blanton (Philadelphia), who just barely made it into the service group with over five years, also signed a multi-year deal.

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If you’re in the Baltimore area, tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. the University of Baltimore will be hosting a symposium that will address three issues: (1) increasing coaches’ compensation; (2) the status of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement; and (3) licensing the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The keynote speaker will be agent Tom Condon, who is an alum of the law school. For more details, click here. more…

Cody Ross and the Florida Marlins headed to their hearing this morning. According to reports that I have read, the arbitration panel for this case was Margaret Brogan, Howard Edelman, and James Oldham. The Marlins, like their counterpart in Tampa Bay, use a file-and-go philosophy with their salary-arbitration players. Ross played in 2009 for $2,225,000, and he is seeking a raise to $4,450,000. The Marlins responded with an offer of $4,200,000 leaving a midpoint of $4,325,000 and a gap of $250,000. Another similarity with the Rays is the relatively small gap in the two exchanged figures number. The gap in the Upton-Tampa Bay case was $300,000. The Rays won their case on Saturday to maintain the only perfect record in arbitration. The Philadelphia Phillies had a 7-0 record until they lost their case to Ryan Howard in 2008.

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