MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin and Pat Williams will be able to play in Sunday’s regular-season opener at Cleveland even if a court ruling goes against them this week, an NFL spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

The Pro Bowl defensive tackles and the NFL continue to await a decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit regarding their potential four-game suspensions in the long-running StarCaps case.
“The suspensions will not be enforced for this weekend,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail.
A three judge panel from the Eighth Circuit heard from both the NFL and the Williamses’ representatives on Aug. 17 and the panel’s chairwoman, Judge Diana Murphy, said they would rule in “due time, keeping in mind the start of the season.”
The players, who were initially suspended last season for violating the league’s anti-doping policy, filed lawsuits against the NFL to stop the suspensions from being enforced. The Williamses want the case to be heard before Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson because they claim the NFL’s policy on drug testing violated state labor laws in Minnesota. The NFL, meanwhile, wants this decided in federal court.
While a ruling on the Williamses could come from the Eighth Circuit this week, the league would not attempt to enforce the suspensions immediately in part because teams need time to prepare for each game and set their game plans.
Whichever side loses this case would have the chance to appeal it to the full Eighth Circuit panel and after that they could attempt to take it to the Supreme Court. It’s uncertain whether another appeal by the Williamses would keep their suspensions on hold.
CLEARING THINGS UP
After quarterback Brett Favre signed last month, there was speculation Vikings vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman might not have been on board with the move because he played a central role in working a trade with Houston for quarterback Sage Rosenfels this offseason. Spielman said Tuesday that such speculation was inaccurate.
“I am 100 percent behind the organization’s decision,” he said Tuesday before the Vikings’ kickoff luncheon in downtown Minneapolis. “I was part of the process and on board with getting it (done) because he’s such a unique individual and unique situation. With where we’re at as a football team — to have a future Hall of Famer come into this organization — I’m 100 percent behind it and very excited that we got him.”
Spielman traded for Rosenfels with the idea that he would compete for the starting job. Asked if that presented a difficult dynamic once Favre signed, Spielman repeated what coach Brad Childress often says about how the team is constantly looking to upgrade talent.
“No, every day we’re sitting there (and saying), ’How can we make this roster better? How can we get it more talented?”’ Spielman said. “You can’t predict what’s going to happen three months down the road or four months down the road. You don’t predict those things. What you do is work (and say), ’Can I somehow or can we find a way to get this roster better today?”’
Spielman, meanwhile, declined to say if the Vikings attempted to trade Tarvaris Jackson last week. Sources said the team shopped Jackson but found no takers.
“I’ll keep everything in house. It’s all internal,” Spielman said. “But I feel very good that we have the three quarterbacks we have on our roster and feel that it’s the strongest we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
ETC.
Fox Sports is planning to send Favre’s regular-season debut to 40 percent of the country on Sunday, after initially planning to have it go to 15 percent.