Judge Overturns Adrian Peterson’s Suspension; NFL Expected to Appeal
Adrian Peterson’s NFL suspension has been lifted.
The Minnesota Vikings running back will be eligible for reinstatement after US District Court Judge David Doty overturned his league-issued ban on Thursday. The NFL is expected to appeal the ruling, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
“This is a victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness,’’ NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement. “Our collective bargaining agreement has rules for implementation of the personal conduct policy and when those rules are violated, our union always stands up to protect our players’ rights. This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game.’’
The NFLPA filed a lawsuit on behalf of Peterson on Dec. 15, three days after Peterson’s suspension was upheld by arbitrator Harold Henderson. The NFLPA argued that the NFL acted outside its authority in the suspension, and that the ruling by Henderson was biased in favor of the NFL; Doty heard statements from NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler and NFL attorney David Nash on Feb. 6.
Peterson was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Nov. 18 for the remainder of the 2014 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy; he was originally not eligible for reinstatement until April 15.
Peterson was charged with felony child-abuse for disciplining his 4-year-old son with a switch last May; he pleaded “no contest’’ to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault on Nov. 4.
Whether Peterson will suit up with the Vikings again is still unclear; he told ESPN.com last week that he was unsure about his future with the team, saying “I’m still uneasy about a lot of things that took place within the organization.’’ The Vikings owe the 2012 NFL MVP a $12.75 million base salary this season with a $15.4 million cap hit; they may try to restructure his contract or release Peterson before the new league year begins on March 10.
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