PRO FOOTBALL: Judge: Five banned for diuretic can play

A federal judge extended his preliminary injunction against the NFL’s suspension of five players for violating the league’s anti-doping policy, a move their lawyer said will let them play the rest of the season.

In his ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson asked both parties to propose a schedule by Dec. 22 for further proceedings that would lead to a hearing on the merits of the case, a process that could take months. The regular season ends Dec. 28.

Kevin Williams and Pat Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints were suspended last week for four games each. They tested positive during training camp for a banned diuretic, bumetanide, in the dietary supplement StarCaps.

Bumetanide can be used as a masking agent for steroids. The StarCaps label didn’t list the diuretic as an ingredient.

“The players and the union are thrilled,” said Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the NFL Players Association. Kessler said the judge’s time frame is long enough that the players can finish the season and go to the playoffs if their teams make it that far.

> JETS: Wide receiver Brad Smith has a concussion as a result of a vicious hit he took from San Francisco’s Patrick Willis, and his status for Sunday’s game against Buffalo on Sunday is uncertain.

> VIKINGS: The club says quarterback Gus Frerotte’s lower back is feeling better by the day, but all signs point to Tarvaris Jackson getting the start Sunday at Arizona. Coach Brad Childress said Frerotte threw about 25 passes on the side, but the 37-year-old did not participate in practice for the second day in a row.

> BILLS: Defensive end Aaron Schobel was placed on injured reserve because of a nagging left foot injury that has forced Buffalo’s top pass rusher to miss most of the season. Schobel has missed eight games since severely spraining a ligament that connects the big toe to his foot.

> BROWNS: Despite a disappointing season and a dispute with the front office, Kellen Winslow wants to stay with the club. Winslow will miss Monday night’s game in Philadelphia with a badly sprained left ankle, and the oft-injured tight end isn’t sure if he’ll return for Cleveland’s last two games.

> JAGUARS: Running back Fred Taylor, 32, may have played his last game for the club. Taylor was placed on injured reserve because of a thumb injury, ending his season with three games left and prompting questions about his future. “All of that still has to handle itself,” said Taylor, a first-round pick in 1998 who has played his entire career in Jacksonville. “I don’t know how it’s going to play out.” Two weeks ago, Taylor said it was clear the organization was headed in another direction because of his reduced role and high salary.

> SEAHAWKS: Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (back) and tackle Walter Jones (knees) are unlikely to play Sunday at St. Louis. Hasselbeck came out briefly to stretch with teammates before leaving for work on his bulging disk. Seneca Wallace again ran the offense.