The Associated Press reported Friday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and head of the NFL Players Union DeMaurice Smith will be in federal court next week to testify about the case of two NFL players, Minnesota Vikings Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, who violated the league’s anti-doping policy but succeeded in having their suspensions were blocked by courts in what is being called the “StarCaps” case. Goodell and Smith will be witnesses before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee next Tuesday.

After the NFL attempted to suspend the two players, they sued the league in state court, arguing the NFL’s testing policy violated workplace laws. The case was first moved to federal court where a judge dismissed the union’s lawsuit and dismissed several claims. But, the judge ruled to send two claims involving Minnesota workplace laws back to state court where a Minnesota judge issued an injunction prohibiting the NFL from suspending the two Vikings players.

Last month, a federal appeals court panel agreed with the decision, allowing Pat and Kevin Williams to continue playing for the Vikings. The NFL argued that federal labor law should pre-empt state law and asked for uniform standards nationally.

The Pat and Kevin Williams case also affected the case of New Orleans Saints defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith. The Saints ends’ infraction and suspensions were identical to that of Pat and Kevin, but the NFL allowed them to keep playing while the Williams case plays out.

The hearing, named after the banned substance, will be titled, “The NFL StarCaps Case: Are Sports Anti-Doping Programs At A Legal Crossroads?” Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said he is concerned the case “could result in weaker performance-enhancing drug policies for professional sports.”

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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