MINNEAPOLIS — A federal appeals court is letting other sports weigh in on the NFL’s attempts to suspend two Minnesota Vikings for violating the league’s anti-doping policy.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday allowed the filing of a joint brief from Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL, as well as a similar brief from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which administers drug testing for U.S. Olympic teams.
They’re asking the appeals court to rule that the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement trumps state laws defensive linemen Kevin Williams and Pat Williams are using to fight their suspensions.
Without a federal ruling, the groups say, it will be impossible to enforce uniform standards for eliminating performance-enhancing drugs.
The NFL seeks to suspend the two players for the first four games of the season.