We knew this was coming.
Those Saints fans who haven't been practicing cautious optimism this off-season may have their first scapegoat for the 2009 season in case things go terribly wrong: Judge Paul Magnuson. Magnuson is the federal judge presiding over the suit filed by the NFLPA to overturn the leagues suspensions of Grant and Smith as well as Deuce McAllister, Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. Turns out Magnuson is a hard ass who has seen and heard enough. He didn't even need to wait until the June 15th trial date that was previously set and has already dismissed the suit.
"The (league's) policy is unequivocal: players are responsible for what is in their bodies, and inadvertent ingestion of a banned substance will not excuse a positive test result,"
"NFL players are adults," Magnuson wrote. "They are warned repeatedly not to take dietary supplements and that such supplements may cause a positive test for a banned substance."
And just like that, the Saints defense is dealt a costly blow. Don't forget about Deuce either. This makes him much less desirable to other NFL teams.
Serenity now!