Image via WikipediaA Federal Court Judge in Missouri granted a verdict for St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora in his lawsuit against the maker of a sports supplement called Ultimate Sports Spray. Vobora claimed that the product had been made with the NFL-banned substance methyltestosterone, and that his use of the product triggered a positive doping test that resulted in Vobora’s four-game suspension in 2009. Vobora won $5.4 million in the judgment, reflecting lost marketing opportunities and lost wages (during suspension), as well as damage to his reputation.
In issuing the ruling the judge said the company—inamed Anti-Steroid Program LLC (aka S.W.A.T.S.), a Key Largo, FL-based company—intentionally misrepresented the supplement. Vobora reportedly had the product tested, revealing it contained methyltestosterone but did not list the ingredient on the label.
While Vobora cleared the two supplements via the NFL Hotline, the league has stated its policy holds strict liability on each player for what they put in their bodies.
