Adrian Peterson Appeal Latest News: NFL Players Association Suing League on Behalf of Peterson
Adrian Peterson is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed by the NFL Players Association after an arbitrator decided not to grant him an appeal that could help him return to playing for the Minnesota Vikings this season.
The 29-year-old running back made headlines last September when news broke claiming that he abused his four-year-old son whom the football star struck with a stripped tree branch, resulting in severe lacerations. Although his no-contest plea left him with the ability to continue with the 2014-2015 NFL season, the league officially decided he would remain suspended without pay until next April.
Harold Henderson, the former NFL executive vice president for labor relations, was appointed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to arbitrate Peterson's appeal. However, he ruled against Peterson's appeal to be reinstated in the NFL this season.
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"[Peterson's] public comments do not reflect remorse or appreciation for the seriousness of his actions and their impact on his family, community, fans and the NFL, although at the close of the hearing he said he has learned from his mistake, he regrets that it happened and it will never happen again," Henderson wrote in a letter explaining his decision. "I reject the argument that placement in Commissioner Exempt status is discipline."
However, Peterson said he believed he was being made an example of after NFL player Ray Rice was recently allowed to return to the league following a suspension stemming from a domestic violence assault against his wife where he knocked her unconscious.
"I've been made an example out of. It kind of baffles me how — I have nothing but love for Ray Rice, I'm happy he has the chance to play," Peterson told ESPN. "But it's like, how did Ray Rice get reinstated before me, a team has a chance to pick him up, but I don't have the opportunity to come back until April? When has that happened in any other case in the NFL, ever?"
Now, the NFLPA has officially filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the NFL.
"The NFLPA expected this outcome, given the hearing officer's relationship and financial ties to the NFL. The decision itself ignores the facts, the evidence and the collective bargaining agreement," the player's association said in a statement obtained by CBS. "This decision also represents the NFL's repeated failure to adhere to due process and confirms its inconsistent treatment of players. Our union is considering immediate legal remedies."
